Management of Extrahepatic Portal Vein Obstruction With Spleno-Adrenal Shunt

TL;DR

A 21-year-old male with extrahepatic portal hypertension underwent splenectomy and spleno-adrenal shunt surgery to manage complications like variceal bleeding and hypersplenism.

Contribution

The paper presents a case where spleno-adrenal shunt surgery is used as an effective alternative to conventional shunts for managing portal hypertension.

Findings

The patient had extrahepatic portal hypertension diagnosed through clinical and radiological investigations.

Splenectomy followed by spleno-adrenal shunt surgery successfully managed the patient's complications.

The case suggests SAS can be an effective alternative to conventional portosystemic shunts.

Abstract

Extrahepatic portal hypertension is the hypertension of the portal venous system in the absence of liver cirrhosis, and variceal bleeding is its commonly seen complication. Long-standing portal hypertension will have the risk of symptomatic hypersplenism, portal biliopathy, growth failure, and ectopic varices. Portosystemic shunt surgery can more effectively manage these complications than medical and endoscopic management. Conventional portosystemic shunts, especially the proximal splenorenal shunt (PSRS), are preferred over unconventional shunts, as the latter will have increased procedural complexities and increased postoperative morbidity. Though spleno-adrenal shunt (SAS) surgery is an unconventional type that offers an excellent alternative to PSRS with equal outcomes. Here, we present a case of a 21-year-old male who presented with a mass in the abdomen since childhood, with one episode of hematemesis. Upon thorough clinical examination, laboratory and radiological investigations made a diagnosis of extrahepatic portal hypertension with symptomatic hypersplenism, following which the patient underwent splenectomy, followed by SAS.

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