Survival after portacaval shunt: who and how?

In a series of 74 portacaval-shunted patients no statistically significant differences in long-term survival or in incidence of postoperative encephalopathy have been observed between electively and emergency operated patients, between patients with slight and moderate impairment of liver function (groups A and B according to Child) or between patients with alcoholic and non-alcoholic cirrhosis. Patients older than 60 years had a higher risk of postoperative encephalopathy and a border-line significantly lower survival rate six months after the operation. Among the patients with more than six months' survival, about 50% returned to work.