Case report: asymptomatic aneurysmal intrahepatic porto-hepatic venous shunt--diagnosis by ultrasound.

ABSTRACT

Intrahepatic porto-hepatic venous shunts are rare entities with less than 20 cases reported in the literature. Many are associated with liver cirrhosis, but some appear to be of developmental origin. The rarest type of such a shunt is one via a portal vein aneurysm. A case is reported where the diagnosis was made by colour duplex ultrasound. No further investigation or treatment was deemed necessary. The ability to make such a diagnosis without the many invasive procedures hitherto employed indicates the value of this modality in the investigation of vascular anomalies.