Multicenter study on recent portal venous system thrombosis associated with cytomegalovirus disease.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Recent non-malignant non-cirrhotic portal venous system thrombosis (PVT) is a rare condition. Among risk factors for PVT, cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease is usually listed based on a small number of reported cases. The aim of this study was to determine the characteristics and outcomes of PVT associated with CMV disease. METHODS: We conducted a French multicenter retrospective study comparing patients with recent PVT and CMV disease ("CMV positive"; n = 23) to patients with recent PVT for whom CMV testing was negative ("CMV negative"; n = 53) or unavailable ("CMV unknown"; n = 297). RESULTS: Compared to patients from the "CMV negative" and "CMV unknown" groups, patients from the "CMV positive" group were younger, more frequently had fever, and had higher heart rate, lymphocyte count and serum ALT levels (p ≤0.01 for all). The prevalence of immunosuppression did not differ between the 3 groups (4%, 4% and 6%, respectively). Extension of PVT was similar between the 3 groups. Thirteen out of 23 "CMV positive" patients had another risk factor for thrombosis. Besides CMV disease, the number of risk factors for thrombosis was similar between the 3 groups. Heterozygosity for the prothrombin G20210A gene variant was more frequent in "CMV positive" patients (22%) than in the "CMV negative" (4%, p = 0.01) and "CMV unknown" (8%, p = 0.03) groups. Recanalization rate was not influenced by CMV status. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with recent PVT, features of mononucleosis syndrome should raise suspicion of CMV disease. CMV disease does not influence thrombosis extension nor recanalization. More than half of "CMV positive" patients have another risk factor for thrombosis, with a particular link to the prothrombin G20210A gene variant. LAY SUMMARY: Patients with cytomegalovirus (CMV)-associated portal venous system thrombosis have similar thrombosis extension and evolution as patients without CMV disease. However, patients with CMV-associated portal venous system thrombosis more frequently have the prothrombin G20210A gene variant, suggesting that these entities act synergistically to promote thrombosis.

Congenital Extrahepatic Portosystemic Shunts (Abernethy Malformation): An International Observational Study.

Congenital extrahepatic portosystemic shunt (CEPS) or Abernethy malformation is a rare condition in which splanchnic venous blood bypasses the liver draining directly into systemic circulation through a congenital shunt. Patients may develop hepatic encephalopathy (HE), pulmonary hypertension (PaHT), or liver tumors, among other complications. However, the actual incidence of such complications is unknown, mainly because of the lack of a protocolized approach to these patients. This study characterizes the clinical manifestations and outcome of a large cohort of CEPS patients with the aim of proposing a guide for their management. This is an observational, multicenter, international study. Sixty-six patients were included; median age at the end of follow-up was 30 years. Nineteen patients (28%) presented HE. Ten-, 20-, and 30-year HE incidence rates were 13%, 24%, and 28%, respectively. No clinical factors predicted HE. Twenty-five patients had benign nodular lesions. Ten patients developed adenomas (median age, 18 years), and another 8 developed HCC (median age, 39 years). Of 10 patients with dyspnea, PaHT was diagnosed in 8 and hepatopulmonary syndrome in 2. Pulmonary complications were only screened for in 19 asymptomatic patients, and PaHT was identified in 2. Six patients underwent liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma or adenoma. Shunt closure was performed in 15 patients with improvement/stability/cure of CEPS manifestations. Conclusion: CEPS patients may develop severe complications. Screening for asymptomatic complications and close surveillance is needed. Shunt closure should be considered both as a therapeutic and prophylactic approach.

Selective testing for calreticulin gene mutations in patients with splanchnic vein thrombosis: A prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN) are the leading cause of splanchnic vein thrombosis (SVT). Janus kinase 2 gene (JAK2)V617F mutations are found in 80 to 90% of patients with SVT and MPN. Mutations of the calreticulin (CALR) gene have also been reported. However, as their prevalence ranges from 0 to 2%, the utility of routine testing is questionable. This study aimed to identify a group of patients with SVT at high risk of harboring CALR mutations and thus requiring this genetic testing. METHODS: CALR, JAK2V617F and thrombopoietin receptor gene (MPL) mutations were analysed in a test cohort that included 312 patients with SVT. Criteria to identify patients at high risk of CALR mutations in this test cohort was used and evaluated in a validation cohort that included 209 patients with SVT. RESULTS: In the test cohort, 59 patients had JAK2V617F, five had CALR and none had MPL mutations. Patients with CALR mutations had higher spleen height and platelet count than patients without these mutations. All patients with CALR mutations had a spleen height ⩾16cm and platelet count >200×109/L. These criteria had a positive predictive value of 56% (5/9) and a negative predictive value of 100% (0/233) for the identification of CALR mutations. In the validation cohort, these criteria had a positive predictive value of 33% (2/6) and a negative predictive value of 99% (1/96). CONCLUSION: CALR mutations should be tested in patients with SVT, a spleen height ⩾16cm, platelet count >200×109/L, and no JAK2V617F. This strategy avoids 96% of unnecessary CALR mutations testing. Lay summary: Mutations of the CALR gene are detected in 0 to 2% of patients with SVT, thus the utility of systematic CALR mutation testing to diagnose MPN is questionable. This study demonstrates that CALR mutations testing can be restricted to patients with SVT, a spleen height ⩾16cm, a platelet count >200×109/L, and no JAK2V617F. This strategy avoids 96% of unnecessary CALR mutations testing.