title: Hepatic encephalopathy in a liver transplant recipient with stable liver function.
abstract: Postshunt hepatic encephalopathy after liver transplantation (LT) is an infrequent condition and is commonly associated with portal occlusion or stenosis and the presence of a patent portosystemic shunt. Portal vein stenosis (PVS) or thrombosis (PVT) are uncommon complications after LT. The overall frequency of both complications is reported to be less than 3%. When PVS or PVT develop early after LT, the occlusion of the portal vein can have catastrophic consequences to the graft including acute liver failure and graft loss. Late PVT/PVS are asymptomatic in approximately 50% of the cases and mainly diagnosed by a routine ultrasound. Symptomatic postshunt hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a very infrequent condition after LT that has been scarcely reported in the literature. We present here the case of a liver recipient with normal graft function who presented with hepatic encephalopathy 3 months after LT with stable liver function but a severe portal stenosis and the presence of a spontaneous portosystemic shunt whose successful endovascular treatment was followed by the complete resolution of the HE.
authors: Departamento de Gastroenterología, Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
authors: Juan Pablo
authors: JP
authors: Arab
authors: Luis
authors: L
authors: Meneses
authors: Rosa M
authors: RM
authors: Pérez
authors: Marco
authors: M
authors: Arrese
authors: Carlos
authors: C
authors: Benítez
mesh_terms: D003251:Constriction, Pathologic / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D057510:Endovascular Procedures; D006501:Hepatic Encephalopathy / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000502:physiology*; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000601:surgery; D016031:Liver Transplantation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011168:Portal System / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016896:Treatment Outcome