Left-sided portal hypertension revisited

Abstract

Antonio Manenti, Erica Pavesi, Alberto Farinetti, Dario Colasanto

Background: Splenic vein obstruction can lead to left-sided portal hypertension, which is a rare segmental portal hyper-tension condition, often caused by inflammatory or neoplastic disease of the pancreas. Today, adequate study by cross-sectional imaging, e.g., ultrasound and computed tomography, allows the identification of particular features of the venous collateral pathways that favor the development of gastroesophageal varices.Methods: A retrospective study of 15 cases of left-sided portal hypertension secondary to complete thrombosis of the splenic vein was performed, with special attention to the morphodynamic conditions predicting the development of gas-troesophageal varices.