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Review
. 2006 Sep;75(3):175-7.

Sinistral portal hypertension

Richard J Thompson  1 , Mark A Taylor, Lloyd D McKie, Thomas Diamond
Affiliations
Free PMC article
Review

Sinistral portal hypertension

Richard J Thompson et al. Ulster Med J. 2006 Sep.
Free PMC article

Abstract

Sinistral, or left-sided, portal hypertension is a rare cause of upper gastrointestinal haemorrhage. There are many causes of sinistral portal hypertension. The primary pathology usually arises in the pancreas and results in compression of the pancreatic vein. This compression causes backpressure in the left portal venous system and subsequent gastric varices. Management is usually surgical to treat the underlying pathology and splenectomy to decompress the left portal venous system. This paper presents four cases of sinistral portal hypertension followed by a literature review of the reported causes and management issues.

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Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1
CT scan demonstrating a solid lesion in the tail of pancreas with splenomegaly and enlargement of the splenic vein (arrow).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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