Two-step complete splenic artery embolization for the management of symptomatic sinistral portal hypertension

Sinistral portal hypertension (SPH) is a rare clinical syndrome. The purpose of this study was to assess the clinical outcomes and safety of splenic artery embolization (SAE) in the treatment of SPH.

This retrospective study included 39 SPH patients who underwent SAE treatment between August 2009 and May 2021. The cases had esophageal, gastric, or ectopic varices detected by endoscopy or enhanced CT, with symptoms or signs of upper gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding and/or postprandial fullness. Clinical symptom improvement rate, complications, and symptomatic recurrence rate were observed and analyzed after treatment.

All the procedures were performed successfully. Of all patients, 17 received the 2-step complete SAE procedure, 19 received only the first step of the 2-step protocol (i.e., partial splenic embolization [PSE] procedure), and the remaining three received the 1-step complete SAE procedure. After the procedures, the symptoms completely disappeared in all patients, and the main complications were post-embolization syndromes, with 27 patients (69.2%) developing a low-grade fever, 24 (61.5%) developing abdominal pain and 4 (10.3%) developing nausea or mild vomiting. During the prolonged follow-up, varicose veins were gradually reduced as detected by enhanced CT; liver function parameters and platelet count remained in the normal range. Only one patient who underwent PSE treatment developed upper GI rebleeding 7 months after the procedure.

Two-step complete SAE is a safe and feasible procedure for the treatment of symptomatic SPH.