[Portal vein thrombosis after laparoscopy--an underestimated complication]

Portal vein thrombosis after laparoscopy became an issue of interest with the technological progress in surgery (the expanding use of minimally invasive approach) and imaging (the higher availability of Doppler ultrasonography and spiral computer tomography). Along with the extensive interest for laparoscopy in our country, a guideline for the prophylaxis and treatment of this potentially deadly complication seems necessary. Portal vein thrombosis (PVT) should be promptly diagnosed and treated to prevent its extension to the superior mesenteric venous system, as it may sometime trigger a potentially life-threatening complication, the entero-mesenteric venous infarction. It is acknowledged that the increasing use of laparoscopy in the last decades represents a major therapeutical progress. The effects of this approach are still to be explored.