[A rare complication in the suppression of a porto-systemic shunt in disabling encephalopathy]

The authors describe an uncommon complication in a case of side-to-side portacaval shunt which was suppressed due to disabling portal-systemic encephalopathy; the patient was treated by esophageal transection with esophagogastric devascularization and nonoperative secondary occlusion of the shunt by external elastic traction on a Silastic catheter surrounding the anastomosis: a stenosis of the caval vein under traction required another operation in order to close the shunt.