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Updated: Sep 24, 2026

Prehospital Thrombolysis: A Manual from Berlin
Published on: November 27, 2013
Treatment of portal vein thrombosis by thrombectomy and regional thrombolysis
S Demertzis1, B Ringe, D Gulba
1Department of Cardiology, Hannover Medical School, Germany.
Background:
Portal vein thrombosis is a rare disorder. The prognosis of both the acute and the chronic forms is determined by the resulting acute or chronic portal hypertension. The therapeutic approach of choice is controversial.
Methods:
A case of etiologically unclear thrombosis of the portal vein system in a young man is reported, which was treated successfully by means of portal vein thrombectomy combined with intraoperative and postoperative thrombolysis with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rTPA).
Results:
Initial thrombectomy established sufficient venous return. However, rethrombosis of the portal vein occurred 2 days later. In a second operation rethrombectomy was followed by intraoperative regional application of rTPA, which was continued after operation during a period of 48 hours through a catheter inserted in a mesenteric vein. Patency of the portal system was confirmed 1 week after the procedure. The 1-year follow-up reconfirmed this result (through indirect portography and Doppler sonography). The patient received the anticoagulant phenprocoumon.
Conclusions:
The combination of surgical thrombectomy and regional thrombolysis with rTPA could offer a feasible therapeutic option for selected patients with acute prehepatic portal vein thrombosis.
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