Published online Sep 7, 2006. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v12.i33.5404
Revised: February 28, 2006
Accepted: March 13, 2006
Published online: September 7, 2006
A patient presented with hematemesis due to gastric variceal bleeding with an intratumoral arterioportal shunt. Contrast-enhanced CT revealed gastric varices and hepatocellular carcinoma with tumor thrombi in the right portal vein. Angiography and angio-CT revealed a marked intratumoral arterioportal shunt accompanied with reflux into the main portal vein and gastric varices. Balloon-occluded retrograde venography from the gastro-renal shunt showed no visualization of gastric varices due to rapid blood flow through the intratumoral arterioportal shunt. The hepatic artery was temporarily occluded with a balloon catheter to reduce the blood flow through the arterioportal shunt, and then concurrent balloon-occluded retrograde transvenous obliteration (BRTO) was achieved. Vital signs stabilized immediately thereafter, and contrast-enhanced CT revealed thrombosed gastric varices. Worsening of hepatic function was not recognized. BRTO combined with temporary occlusion of the hepatic artery is a feasible interventional procedure for ruptured high flow gastric varices with an intratumoral arterioportal shunt.