PERCUTANEOUS STENT PLACEMENT FOR TREATMENT OF STENOSIS OF A PORTACAVAL H-GRAFT SHUNT

Surgical treatment of an occluded or stenotic portacaval shunt carries a high risk of mortality, but the rate of restenosis after transluminal angioplasty is also high. The authors report high-grade stricture of a portacaval H-graft shunt in a 51-year-old man, who presented with hematemesis and melena. The patient was treated with concomitant balloon angioplasty and placement of a metallic stent through a percutaneous venous approach. The procedure was tolerated well by the patient, and stenosis had not recurred at follow-up 1 year later.