Budd-Chiari Syndrome: Causes and Treatments

Half of all cases were associated with myeloproliferative disorders, and half of all patients who received anticoagulation therapy did not require invasive procedures.

Hepatic venous thrombosis (HVT; Budd-Chiari Syndrome) is characterized by right upper quadrant discomfort and ascites. Abdominal ultrasound usually shows an enlarged, echogenic liver and poor visualization of the hepatic veins; the gold standard for diagnosis is hepatic venography (New Engl J Med 2006; 354:2166). Why this relatively rare disorder occurs is mystifying, and management strategies are unclear.

To characterize causes and treatments of HVT, investigators in the European Network for Vascular Disorders of the Liver studied a case series of 163 consecutive patients with incident disease (median age at diagnosis, 38; age range, 16–83; 57% female). Patients were followed for ≤31 months (median follow-up, 17 months). Imaging studies sho…

Reviewing Author

David Green, MD, PhD

Disclosures

EquityNovartis

David Green, MD, PhD

Disclosures

EquityNovartis