Hepatic Portal Venous Gas: A Potentially Lethal Sign Demanding Urgent Management

BACKGROUND Hepatic portal venous gas is a rare and concerning finding occasionally seen on computed tomography (CT) scans, and must be emergently managed, often in the operating room. This condition can present in conjunction with bowel distension, pneumatosis intestinalis, and intestinal ischemia, so care must be taken to examine the imaging closely so as not to miss this dire condition. This report summarizes our experience with a patient who had this problem and how urgent management prevented a lethal outcome. CASE REPORT The patient was a 77-year-old morbidly obese man whose complicated hospital course began with admission for abdominal pain evaluation. This led to a flexible sigmoidoscopy for concerning CT findings suggestive of colitis or malignancy, leading to a perforation at the anterior wall of the sigmoid-rectal junction. Urgent sigmoid colectomy and Hartmann's procedure were performed along with pelvic drainage. Blood cultures returned positive for Klebsiella. After 10 days, the patient decompensated, and a CT scan showed pneumatosis intestinalis, hepatic portal venous gas, and diffuse small bowel distension. Rectal stump dehiscence had occurred; therefore, 2 repeat abdominal wash-outs were performed with aggressive intensive care. The patient eventually stabilized and was ultimately discharged to a skilled nursing facility 32 days later. CONCLUSIONS This case illustrates the importance of prompt imaging, medical management, and, if necessary, surgical exploration in the patient with bowel distension and hepatic portal venous gas on a CT scan. Although uncommon, this finding indicates a potentially poor prognosis and must be addressed emergently to prevent bowel ischemia from progressing in patients with underlying abdominal pathology.