[Percutaneous unblocking of porto-systemic shunts. Personal experience with 11 cases]

The authors report their personal experience in percutaneous treatment of portosystemic shunt occlusion and stenosis. Eleven patients with portosystemic shunt stenosis or occlusion were percutaneously treated. Seven patients were treated with PTA alone; in 2 cases, with recurrent variceal bleeding, percutaneous variceal embolization was associated with PTA. Four patients were treated with local fibrinolytic infusion through the catheter inserted into the thrombus; in 3 cases this treatment was followed by PTA. In all 11 patients recanalization was possible, no complications arose. Six patients died in the following 15 months, none due to rebleeding; in 5 patients of this group the shunt was patent at autopsy. In one patient autopsy was not performed but the shunt was functioning at the last duplex US control. Of 5 patients still alive in the follow-up period (2-25 months) the shunt was patent in 3 and occluded in 2.