Stent placement for the treatment of portal vein stenosis or occlusion in pediatric liver transplant recipients.

Abstract

PURPOSE:

To evaluate the efficacy of stent placement for the treatment of portal vein (PV) stenosis or occlusion in pediatric liver transplant recipients.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

Written informed consent was obtained from a legal guardian, and our institutional review board approved this study. Percutaneous (n = 10) or intraoperative (n = 2) stent placement was attempted in 12 pediatric recipients (age range, 6-102 months) via the percutaneous transhepatic or inferior mesenteric vein route. Stents 6-10 mm in diameter were placed. Technical and clinical success, complications, and patency of the PV were retrospectively analyzed.

RESULTS:

Technical success was achieved in 10 of 12 patients (83%) and clinical success was achieved in eight patients (67%). Eight of the 10 patients in whom technical success was achieved (80%) remained healthy with a patent PV during the 10-58-month clinical follow-up period. One patient with technical success died of acute rejection without recurrent PV complications and another died of acute rejection after stent replacement as a result of an hourglass deformity of a deployed stent with partial thrombosis. No major procedural complications occurred.

CONCLUSIONS:

Based on this study in a relatively small number of patients, PV stent placement seems to be a safe and effective method for the treatment of posttransplantation PV stenosis or occlusion in pediatric patients.

• Authors: Gi-Young Ko, Kyu-Bo Sung, SungGyu Lee, Hyun-Ki Yoon, Kyung Rae Kim, Kyung Mo Kim, Young-Joo Lee
• Journal: Journal of vascular and interventional radiology : JVIR (J Vasc Interv Radiol) Vol. 18 Issue 10 Pg. 1215-21 (Oct 2007) ISSN: 1051-0443 [Print] United States
• PMID: 17911510 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Topics

• Child
• Child, Preschool
• Constriction, Pathologic (surgery)
• Female
• Follow-Up Studies
• Humans
• Infant
• Liver Transplantation (adverse effects)
• Male
• Portal Vein (pathology, physiopathology, surgery)
• Prosthesis Design
• Retrospective Studies
• Severity of Illness Index
• Stents
• Time Factors
• Tomography, X-Ray Computed
• Treatment Outcome
• Ultrasonography, Doppler, Duplex
• Vascular Patency
• Vascular Surgical Procedures (instrumentation)