Post-traumatic arteriovenous fistula of the hepatic pedicle

Abstract

Hepatico-portal fistula (HPF) is a rare condition, most often of post-traumatic or iatrogenic origin and occasionally secondary to a ruptured aneurysm of the hepatic artery into the portal vein. HPF in extrahepatic locations often results in portal hypertension (PHT). While Doppler ultrasound, CT angiography, and magnetic resonance angiography are usually demonstrative, arteriography remains indispensable to clarify the exact anatomical configuration. In the treatment of these arteriovenous (AV) fistulas, open surgical approaches have increasingly given way to radiological embolization techniques, especially in intrahepatic locations, but surgery remains indicated for AV fistulas of the hepatic pedicle where maintenance of hepatic arterial flow is a priority of treatment. We report a patient who had an AV fistula of the hepatic pedicle with resultant PHT presenting 5 years after open abdominal trauma. Treatment was surgical; the immediate and long-term postoperative course was uneventful with regression of PHT. Through analysis of this case and a review of the literature, we discuss the clinical, paraclinical, therapeutic, and prognostic features of this lesion.