Congenital intrahepatic portosystemic shunt: prenatal diagnosis and possible influence on fetal growth

Abstract

Congenital intrahepatic portosystemic shunts (IPSS) are abnormal vascular communications within the liver between branches of the portal vein and the hepatic veins. They have been recognized as an important disorder in children and should be differentiated from metabolic diseases, the symptoms of which may be similar. Several cases of prenatal diagnosis of abnormalities of the fetal venous system have been described in the literature, but the significance and prognosis of isolated congenital IPSS in prenatal life have not been reported and have only been derived from children. We present a case of congenital IPSS in which there was severe intrauterine growth restriction with a concomitant atypical fetal Doppler pattern. Findings on Doppler ultrasound indicate that the prenatal diagnosis of congenital IPSS is now feasible.