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Gas in the Portal Vein: An Emergency or Just Hot Air?

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Abstract

We report the case of a 87-year-old woman admitted to our Emergency Department for mild abdominal pain associated with vomiting. An abdominal X-ray showed gas present in the portal venules of the left hepatic lobe, a finding associated with numerous surgical and medical conditions. The patient was successfully managed with conservative treatment. Isolated intrahepatic gas is a rare radiologic finding; emergency surgery should be performed only when there are signs of associated acute intestinal infarction.

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Abbreviations

WBC:

White blood cell

Hgb:

Haemoglobin

CRP:

C-reactive protein

HPVG:

Hepatic portal venous gas

AMI:

Acute mesenteric ischemia

ED:

Emergency Department

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Acknowledgments

We wish to thank M. Pasquali, MD for her invaluable support in the radiological reports and discussion.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of General Surgery, “Ospedale Civile Umberto I”, Lugo, Ravenna, Italy

    N. Zorzetti, A. Ruffato, L. Ferruzzi, N. Antonacci & R. M. Tranchino

  2. Department of Surgical Sciences, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy

    A. Lauro & V. D’Andrea

Authors
  1. N. Zorzetti
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  2. A. Lauro
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  3. A. Ruffato
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  4. V. D’Andrea
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  5. L. Ferruzzi
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  6. N. Antonacci
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  7. R. M. Tranchino
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Correspondence to N. Zorzetti.

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Zorzetti, N., Lauro, A., Ruffato, A. et al. Gas in the Portal Vein: An Emergency or Just Hot Air?. Dig Dis Sci 66, 3290–3295 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10620-021-07126-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10620-021-07126-8

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