Budd-Chiari syndrome. Surgical treatment of 45 cases

Fourty-five patients with Budd-Chiari syndrome were treated surgically from December 1985 to May 1988. The procedures consisted of cavoatrial shunt, mesoatrial shunt, transcardiac membranotomy, splenopneumopexy, portal vein-systemic vein shunt and re-opened umbilical vein-right auricle shunt, etc. Two of the patients died postoperatively. Others showed improvement after follow-up for 3-24 months. Recurrent hemorrhage from varices did not occur after operation in all patients. The diagnosis, surgical indications, and various methods of surgery for Budd-Chiari syndrome were discussed.