PERCUTANEOUS MESENTERIC VENOUS THROMBECTOMY AND THROMBOLYSIS - SUCCESSFUL TREATMENT FOLLOWED BY LIVER-TRANSPLANTATION

Mesenteric vein thrombosis (MVT) is a rare cause of intestinal ischemi a, Because of its nonspecific symptoms, diagnosis is often delayed. We describe a patient with liver cirrhosis who developed acute MVT while waiting for liver transplantation. Surgical intervention carried a hi gh risk because of her underlying cirrhosis. Mesenteric venous thrombe ctomy and thrombolysis were performed with an AngioJet (Possis Medical , Minneapolis, MN) thrombectomy device and streptokinase infusion thro ugh transjugular route. The patient subsequently received an orthotopi c liver transplant. We also present a review of the literature about t he occurrence and treatment options for MVT. Copyright (C) 1998 by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.