Ten years of selective shunts for hemorrhagic portal hypertension

Selective portosystemic shunts have been performed in our hospital since 1973 for the treatment of variceal bleeding secondary to portal hypertension. We report our experience in 139 selective operations performed in a 10-year period (1973 to 1983). One hundred thirty patients underwent elective nine underwent emergency surgery. Eighty-five patients were classified in the A functional group of Child, 42 in group B, and 12 in group C. The overall mortality rate in the emergency group was 44% and in the elective group, 13%. Ascitis and transitory hepatic failure were the most common postoperative complications. The long-term follow-up clinical encephalopathy rate was 16%. The survival rate according to the Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was 80% at 2 years, 68% at 5 years, and 67% at 10 years.