title: The Long-Term Outcomes for Patients with Budd-Chiari Syndrome Caused by Behcet's Disease: A Case Series on the Results, from Cirrhosis to Death.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Budd-Chiari syndrome, which is a rare complication of Behcet's disease, carries a high mortality rate.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the study was to present our long-term follow up experience with patients suffering from Budd-Chiari syndrome due to Behcet's disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  The records of 402 patients with Behcet's disease were evaluated retrospectively. To facilitate detection of the long-term complications caused by Budd-Chiari syndrome, the patients were evaluated via physical examinations, laboratory tests, imaging modalities, and endoscopy results.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The data for 402 patients diagnosed with Behcet's disease, who were followed up at our hospital over 16 years, were analyzed retrospectively. Five of these 402 patients (1.2%) were diagnosed as having Budd-Chiari syndrome. The patients with Budd-Chiari syndrome were aged between 23 and 54, and all five were male. The interval between the onset of Behcet's disease and the development of Budd-Chiari syndrome ranged from 1 to 8 years. All the patients had combined venous occlusion (affecting the hepatic vein and inferior vena cava). Portal venous thrombosis was detected in only one patient (Case 1), who died 1 month after the diagnosis of Budd-Chiari syndrome. The survival time for the other four patients after the diagnosis of Budd-Chiari syndrome ranged from 4 to 16 years. During the long-term follow-up, hepatic masses were detected via radiological surveillance in Case 3 (in the form of large regenerative nodules) and Case 4 (nodular regenerative hyperplasia and cirrhosis).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In our study, portal venous thrombosis was detected in the patient who died during the acute period only. A study including large numbers of Budd-Chiari-syndrome patients with Behcet's disease and portal venous thrombosis would be helpful to determine the prognostic significance of portal venous thrombosis in Budd-Chiari-syndrome patients with Behcet's disease. In addition, patients should be monitored regularly for the development of hepatic masses via a long-term surveillance program.
authors.affiliation: Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Eskisehir Osmangazi University, Eskisehir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Dondu Uskudar
authors.initials: DU
authors.lastname: Cansu
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Eskisehir Osmangazi University, Eskisehir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Tuncer
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Temel
authors.affiliation: Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Eskisehir Osmangazi University, Eskisehir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Adem
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Erturk
authors.affiliation: Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Eskisehir Osmangazi University, Eskisehir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Timucin
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kasifoglu
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Eskisehir Osmangazi University, Eskisehir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Berat
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Acu
authors.affiliation: Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Eskisehir Osmangazi University, Eskisehir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Cengiz
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Korkmaz
keywords: Behcet’s Disease; Budd-Chiari Syndrome; Cirrhosis; Portal Vein; Prognosis; Thrombosis