Portal hypertension due to chronic pancreatitis

Objective To explore the diagnosis and management of portal hypertension due to chronic pancreatitis.Methods The clinical manifestations,diagnostic methods and therapeutic modalities of 21 cases of portaI hypertension due to chronic pancreatitis(16 with regional portal hypertension,5 prehepatic portal hypertension)treated in our hospital from March 1990 to October 2005 were retrospectively analyzed.The main diagnostic methods were ultrasonography(US),computerized tomography(CT)and endoscopy.Magnetic resonance angiography(MRA)and superior mesenteric angiography were performed selectively in 3 with prehepatic portal hypertension.Splenectomy was performed in 16 patients with regional portal hypertension,and superior mesenteric vein-inferior vena cava shunt was the treatment of choice in 5 with prehepatic portal hypertension(plus splenectomy in 2 cases).Results All the patients were followed up for 1-5 years and recovered nicer after treatment.No case of rebleeding occurred during the follow-up.Hypersplenism disappeared,and disappeared or improved obviously.Esophageal varices was detected by gastroscope in 15 cases after operation.Conclusion In the clinical procedure of pancreatic portal hypertension due to chronic pancreatitis,prehepatic portal hypertension should be noted. Key words: Panereatitis Portal hypertension