Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 4, 2026

Invasive Hemodynamic Characterization of the Portal-hypertensive Syndrome in Cirrhotic Rats
Published on: August 1, 2018
Spontaneous portoazygos shunt in a patient with portal hypertension
Jacob Gebrael1, Hyeon Yu1, William Brian Hyslop1
1Department of Radiology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
Abstract:
We present a case of spontaneous portoazygos shunt in a patient with liver cirrhosis and portal hypertension. The shunt was incidentally detected by abdominal magnetic resonance imaging for routine evaluation of liver cirrhosis. Multiplanar reconstruction images demonstrated the portal vein communicating with the azygos vein that was dilated and tortuous along its course to the mediastinum. Although there has been a case of congenital portoazygos shunt reported in a neonate with multiple congenital anomalies, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of spontaneous portoazygos shunt developed in an adult with portal hypertension.
Related Concept Videos
Portal Hypertension
Hepatic Portal System
At its core, the hepatic portal vein is the result of a confluence of the superior and inferior mesenteric veins along with the splenic vein. Each of these veins has a unique role. The superior mesenteric vein is...
Hepatic Encephalopathy
Esophageal Varices-I: Introduction

