PORTAL-VEIN ANEURYSM - REPORT OF 6 CASES AND REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

Portal vein aneurysm is very rare, and its relation to portal hyperten sion has been emphasized. We report six cases of portal vein aneurysm (five extrahepatic and one intrahepatic). All patients were asymptomat ic and had no signs suggestive of portal hypertension; the lesion was incidentally detected by ultrasound. Color Doppler sonography showed a constant hepatopetal flow along the aneurysmal wall, which immediatel y led to the diagnosis. We stress the usefulness of color Doppler sono graphy for studying the hemodynamics of this vascular anomaly and brie fly review the literature.