Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2023 Aug 9;85(10):5158-5162.
doi: 10.1097/MS9.0000000000001173. eCollection 2023 Oct.

Portal vein thrombosis in a 10-month-old infant as a complication of neonatal umbilical catheterization: a case report

Sultaneh Haddad  1 , Salim Haddad  2 , Komait Swaid  1 , Nafiza Martini  2   3 , Marah Mansour  4   5 , Lina Alkouri  6
Affiliations
Case Reports

Portal vein thrombosis in a 10-month-old infant as a complication of neonatal umbilical catheterization: a case report

Sultaneh Haddad et al. Ann Med Surg (Lond). .

Abstract

Introduction: Esophageal varices bleeding after portal hypertension is a rare condition in children but is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Neonatal umbilical catheterization is one of the risk factors for the development of portal vein thrombosis (PVT) and portal hypertension.

Case presentation: Neonatal umbilical catheterization was used here to provide appropriate treatment for postpartum sepsis. Color Doppler revealed an approximate total obstruction of the portal vein, and endoscopy showed esophageal varices. The patient was sequentially managed with endoscopic sclerotherapy.

Discussion: The manifestations associated with PVT (like splenomegaly and bleeding esophageal varices) have been detected in a 10-month-old, which is considered a relatively young age according to the medical literature review.

Conclusion: Using umbilical vein catheterization in neonates may be associated with several complications, including PVT. This case report describes a rare instance of portal hypertension complicated by bleeding esophageal varices in a 10-month-old infant who had undergone newborn umbilical catheterization.

Keywords: case report; esophageal varices; octreotide; portal vein thrombosis; sclerotherapy; umbilical catheterization.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.Sponsorships or competing interests that may be relevant to content are disclosed at the end of this article.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Esophagogastroduodenoscopy shows esophageal constriction stenosis caused by multiple esophageal ulcers, and esophageal varices (IV degree).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Ultrasound shows ascites and homogeneous splenomegaly.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Doppler ultrasound shows impaired blood flow in the portal vein and varices in both the gastric antrum and splenic hilum.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Multi-slice computer tomography scan shows total obstruction in the portal vein after the joining of the splenic and superior mesenteric veins.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Ugwu JO, Emegoako CD, Ugwunne CA, et al. . Bleeding oesophageal varices in a 9-year old girl as a late complication of neonatal umbilical catheterization. Niger J Clin Pract 2020;23:429–433. - PubMed
    1. Balfour GW, Stewart TG. Case of enlarged spleen complicated with ascites, both depending upon varicose dilatation and thrombosis of the portal vein. Edinb Med J 1869;14:589–598. - PMC - PubMed
    1. El-Karaksy HM, El-Koofy N, Mohsen N, et al. . Extrahepatic portal vein obstruction in Egyptian children. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr 2015;60:105–109. - PubMed
    1. Pietrobattista A, Luciani M, Abraldes JG, et al. . Extrahepatic portal vein thrombosis in children and adolescents: influence of genetic thrombophilic disorders. World J Gastroenterol 2010;16:6123–6127. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Gharehbaghi MM, Nemati M, Hosseinpour SS, et al. . Umbilical vascular catheter associated portal vein thrombosis detected by ultrasound. Indian J Pediatr 2011;78:161–164. - PubMed

Publication types