The role of surgical shunts in the treatment of pediatric portal hypertension

Background Portal diversion by surgical shunt plays a major role in the treatment of medically refractory portal hypertension. We evaluate our center’s experience with surgical shunts for the treatment of pediatric portal hypertension. Methods All patients who underwent surgical shunt at a single institution from 2008 to 2017 were reviewed. The primary outcome was intervention-free shunt patency. Results In this study, 34 pediatric patients underwent portal shunt creation. The median age was 7.7 years (interquartile range 4.3–12.0). Twenty-nine patients (85%) had prehepatic portal hypertension and 5 patients (15%) had intrahepatic portal hypertension. The primary manifestations of portal hypertension were esophageal varices (97%) and gastrointestinal bleeding (77%). Eighteen patients (53%) underwent meso-Rex bypass, 10 patients (29%) underwent splenorenal shunt, and 6 patients (18%) underwent mesocaval shunt. Outcomes were notable for minimal wound complications (9%), rebleeding events (12%), and mortality (3%). In the postoperative setting, 10 patients (29%) experienced a shunt complication (occlusion or stenosis), 4 of which occurred in the early postoperative period and required urgent intervention. The 1-year and 5-year “primary patency” patency rates were 71% and 66%, respectively. Conclusion Children suffer significant morbidity from the sequelae of portal hypertension. Our experience reinforces the feasibility of surgical shunts as an effective treatment option associated with low rates of morbidity and mortality.