Portal Venous Stent Placement for Malignant Portal Venous Stenosis or Occlusion: Who Benefits?

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of portal venous (PV) stent placement and find groups who benefit from this procedure among patients with symptomatic PV hypertension caused by malignant tumors. From October 2001 to January 2013, 13 patients underwent PV stent placement because of PV stenosis or occlusion caused by bile duct cancer (n = 7), pancreatic cancer (n = 5), or nodal metastasis (n = 1). Technical success, changes in PV pressure gradient and palliative prognostic index (PPI) scores before and after stent placement, clinical outcomes, and complications were evaluated. Stent was successfully placed in all patients (100 %, 13/13), lowering the mean PV pressure gradient from 12.4 +/- A 4.5 mmHg (range 5-20 mmHg) to 0.5 +/- A 0.9 mmHg (range 0-3 mmHg, p < 0.000001). Symptoms were improved in all but one patient (92.3 %, 12/13). Although 10 patients (76.9 %, 10/13) with pre-stent placement PPI scores lower than 6 (mean 3.5 +/- A 1.7, range 0-5) were discharged from the hospital, the other 3 with the pre-stent placement PPI of 6 or more (mean 7.2 +/- A 1.6, range 6-9.5) died within 4 weeks (range 17-28 days) without discharge. The median survival time of discharged patients was 123 days, and it was 20 days in non-discharged patients (p = 0.0001). A major procedure-related complication of intraperitoneal hemorrhage occurred in one patient (7.7 %, 1/13). No significant factor was detected for the occurrence of complication. PV stent placement is a feasible, safe, and effective technique to relieve symptomatic PV hypertension caused by malignant tumors. The PPI score might be useful to stratify patients who benefit from this procedure.