Interventional treatment of severe portal hypertension due to hepatolenticular degeneration: therapeutic evaluation of 8 cases

Objective: To evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of sclerotic embolization of esophagogastric varices (SEEV) and partial splenic embolization (PSE) in treating esophagogastric varices and portal hypertension, respectively, in patients with hepatolenticular degeneration. Methods: Eight patients with severe portal hypertension complicated with upper gastrointestinal bleeding and hypersplenism were involved in this study. White blood cell (WBC) counts, platelet counts, and portal vein pressure were determined before and after operation, the results were compared with each other. Results: No recurrence or complication occurred after operation in all patients. After the treatment (SEEV and PSE) the hepatic function showed no obvious changes. The WBC counts increased obviously in the first week after operation, and returned to normal range in 2 weeks. The platelet counts gradually returned to normal level from the second week. The portal vein pressure after operation went up a little, from (45.13±8.69) cm H2O to (48.63±10.48) cm H2O in SEEV group and to (47.88±11.43) cm H2O in PSE group, but the difference was of no statistic significance (P>0.05). Conclusion: Interventional therapy can reduce the portal hypertension caused by hepatolenticular degeneration. The technique is safe and effective, and is very helpful for returning to anti-copper treatment. (authors)