title: Orthotopic liver transplantation in patients with portal vein thrombosis in the absence of hepatocellular carcinoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Liver transplantation (OLT) in the setting of portal vein thrombosis (PVT) has been a matter of controversy in the past. We herein report our experience with OLT for PVT in the absence of hepatocellular carcinoma.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data from patients undergoing OLT for end-stage liver disease, having a documented PVT before OLT, were reviewed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-five patients were included for the period July, 2003 to December, 2009. There were 20 men and 5 women of median age 57 years. Median values for waiting time and Model for End-Stage Liver Disease score were 150 days and 18, respectively. PVT was classified as grade II (n = 6), IIIa (n = 7), IIIb (n = 9), or IVa (n = 3). Partial portal vein resection/reconstruction, operative thrombectomy, and eversion thromboendovenectomy were performed in 2, 16, and 7 instances, respectively. After a median follow-up of 18 months, 14 patients are alive. Survival rates at 3, 6, 9, and 12, months and 3 years post-OLT were 68%, 64%, 61%, 61%, and 61%, respectively. PVT grade was a negative predictor of survival by Cox proportional hazard analysis (P = .0253).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Despite the technical innovations in recent years, PVT grade correlated with poor patient survival irrespective of the surgical technique.
authors.affiliation: Department of General, Visceral and Transplantation Surgery, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany. ifouzas@auth.gr
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Fouzas
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Paul
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Becker
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vernadakis
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Treckmann
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Máthé
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gerken
authors.forename: G C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Sotiropoulos
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000401:mortality; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011169:Portal Vein / Q000601:surgery*; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D017131:Thrombectomy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000401:mortality; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D020246:Venous Thrombosis / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D014850:Waiting Lists; D055815:Young Adult