Anticoagulation Achieves Recanalization of PVT in Cirrhosis

Spontaneous portal vein thrombosis (PVT) is common in cirrhosis, with a reported prevalence as high as 26%. Because patients with cirrhosis now undergo routine hepatoma surveillance, the identification of incidental PVT will likely increase. Therefore, assessing the safety and efficacy of anticoagulation therapy for this condition is relevant; however, few studies have done so.

Now, investigators report findings from a retrospective study of the safety and efficacy of anticoagulation therapy in 55 patients with cirrhosis and acute/subacute thrombosis or thrombosis progression from four tertiary centers in Spain. Acute/subacute thrombosis was defined as the absence of flow in the portal vein trunk or branches, splenic vein, or superior mesent…