[Complications of the transcutaneous transhepatic catheterization of the portal vein and their prevention].

An analysis of complications after performing a transhepatic catheterization of the portal vein in 117 patients with different diseases has shown that all of them were associated with mechanical traumas of the liver parenchyma, vascular structures or bile ducts and may be considered to be a direct consequence of technical problems and errors. The most severe complication of the procedure was bleeding into the abdominal cavity. Certain technical means facilitating the examination and improving its safety are discussed as well as methods to prevent bleedings into the abdominal cavity.