Abstract
Stenting for the portal vein may be performed to treat such problems as portal vein stenosis due to pancreaticobiliary cancer and anastomotic stenosis after liver transplantation. Recently, it has also been performed for benign portal vein stenosis. We encountered a case in which a portal vein stent was placed to treat portal vein thrombosis after completion of left hepatic lobectomy for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. An 85-year-old woman was diagnosed as having intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma in subsegment 2. We performed left hepatic lobectomy and anastomosed the portal vein branch for subsegment 8 to the right branch, because it diverged from the left branch, posing a risk of tumor invasion. Because portal vein thrombus was identified thereafter, we also performed thrombectomy and angioplasty. After the operation, portal vein thrombosis recurred and a catheter was placed in the superior mesenteric vein from the ileocolic vein for accomplishing thrombolytic therapy. While the portal vein was patent initially, it became occluded again. Therefore, we placed a stent in the portal vein, after which the portal vein thrombosis did not recur. No standard criteria for portal vein stenting have been established yet. Herein, we report our findings on portal vein stenting, with a review of the pertinent literature.
