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Case Reports
. 2022 Sep 7:9:970254.
doi: 10.3389/fmed.2022.970254. eCollection 2022.

Case report: Congenital arterioportal fistula: An unusual cause of variceal bleeding in adults

Junlin Xia  1 , Jingwen Zhao  2 , Bing Chang  1
Affiliations
Case Reports

Case report: Congenital arterioportal fistula: An unusual cause of variceal bleeding in adults

Junlin Xia et al. Front Med (Lausanne). .

Abstract

The aberrant vascular connecting channel that forms between the portal vein and the hepatic artery is the essence of a hepatic arterioportal fistula. Congenital hepatic arterioportal fistula more frequently occurs in early childhood rather than in adults. We describe a rare instance of a large, isolated, congenital hepatic arterioportal fistula that was successfully treated following selective hepatic arteriography and transcatheter embolization. The patient presented with significant variceal bleeding when the fistula was discovered at the age of 73. The patient's condition improved during the brief postoperative follow-up period without a recurrence. Our research suggests that in older patients with portal hypertension and an unclear etiology, selective arteriography and embolization can provide a definitive diagnosis and successfully treat symptoms.

Keywords: angiography; arteriovenous fistula; ascites; coil embolization; gastrointestinal bleeding; hepatic arterioportal fistula; occlusion; portal hypertension.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
(A) Enhanced CT shows early portal vein visualization in the arterial phase suggesting hepatic arterioportal fistula (black arrow). (B) Selective hepatic artery angiography demonstrated the dilated right hepatic arteries (black arrow). The left hepatic artery was normal. (C) Endoscopy display the tortuous varices with dilatation and positive RC sign in esophagus. (D) Endoscopy display the tortuous varices with dilatation and positive RC sign in gastric fundus.
Figure 2
Figure 2
(A) CT scan of the abdomen: CT shows occlusion of the hepatic arterioportal fistula after embolization (black arrow) and reduction of ascites. (B) Selective hepatic artery angiography showing complete closure of the fistula (black arrow) between the right hepatic artery and the right portal vein branch after coil embolization. (C) Improvement of varicose veins after endoscopic sclerotherapy. (D) Improvement of varicose veins after endoscopic sclerotherapy.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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