Per-Cutaneous Trans-splenic Vein Thrombolysis of Acute Major Portal Vein Thrombosis in Post-Liver Transplant Recipient: A Unique Experience

Portal venous thrombosis (PVT) is an uncommon complication in post-liver transplant recipients. The reported incidence is 1-4%. It may occur within a month, called early or after one month of transplantation, known as late PVT. Early PVT has a poor prognosis, leading to graft failure in most cases. Treatment of such cases is quite challenging because of difficult alternative portal inflow establishment. We performed successful thrombolysis of acute major PVT with a unique technique using ultrasound-guided percutaneous trans-splenic vein access in a post-liver transplant recipient. The per-cutaneous trans- splenic vein approach-based thrombolysis described here in this report might be very helpful in similar cases. This technique minimizes the potential risk of graft loss, avoids re-exploration, has a low risk of bleeding, and is cost-effective.