Portal vein of the liver and its diseases

The portal vein is a large vessel that collects blood from various organs of the gastrointestinal tract and brings it to the liver. There's blood already filtered and purified is returned to the blood stream. Anatomy is quite easy: the main trunk diverges into venules and other various diameter vessels. The portal vein provides the liver with oxygen and nutrients.

Pathology of the portal vein

Such an important vessel prone to various diseases and injuries, for example:

• congenital abnormalities, namely aplasia and stenosis;
• cavernoma (occurs in result of postpartum thrombosis with subsequent recanalization and the occurrence of new blood vessels);
• aneurysms;
• nodular regenerative hyperplasia (in the absence of treatment occurs portal hypertension);
• thrombosis or pietrobono.

Clinical manifestations of pathologies and their complications

Pathology of the portal vein, hepatic veins by nature are acute and chronic. The acute phase confirms its name, as it is accompanied by the following symptoms of portal vein thrombosis:

• sudden excruciating pain in the abdomen;
• the increase in body temperature and the constant presence of fever;
• the increase in size of the spleen, namely splenomegaly;
• the occurrence of nausea, vomiting, and upset his chair.

It is noteworthy that all of the above violations of the rules occur simultaneously and significantly worsen the patient's condition. If time does not begin treatment of pathologies, it can lead to ischemia of the bowel, that is the death of tissues due to obstruction by the thrombus of the mesenteric vessels.

To confirm the diagnosis, doctors modern clinics use such visualization techniques:

• Ultrasound examination of abdominal cavity;
• dopplerography;
• computer and magnetic resonance tomography;
• x-ray examination with the introduction of a contrast agent;
• cresecendo portography, which also used a contrast for the introduction of the liver or spleen.

Also used for the diagnosis of portal scintigraphy, which involves the use of a radiopharmaceutical of the sensor (its introduction into the body with subsequent fixation of the vessel).

The therapeutic strategy is to comprehensive medical treatment, surgical intervention and complication treatment system of the portal vein. Under the comprehensive drug treatment refers to the use of anticoagulants (e.g., heparin or palentina), and of thrombolytics, such as streptokinase and urokinase. The first type of drugs used for preventing blood clots and resume patency of the vessel, and the second type of medication eliminates the clotoverlying the lumen of the portal vein.