Angiography in distal spleno-renal shunts

The conception of Warren's Shunt - selective decompression of esophageal varices while maintaining prograde portal flow - was controlled by pre- and postoperative angiographic examinations on 12 patients: No change in portal perfusion was established angiographically in ten of the patients. Two patients developed aneurysmatic, arterio-portal fistulae as a result of postoperative portal decompression. In one of these cases, a thrombosis of the portal vein with hepatofugal perfusion of the left gastric vein was detected. The postoperative examinations indicated functioning shunts in 9 out of 12 patients. These results formed the basis for the discussion regarding the value of visceral angiography in the selection of the surgical technique and regarding its value in control of therapy. Surgical questions concerning the visceral vascular anatomy can be answered sufficiently. Furthermore, celiac and mesenteric angiography yield information on portal hemodynamics. Nevertheless, the additional application of invasive scintigraphy seems to be necessary for establishing quantitative radiological parameters of prognostic relevance. (orig.)