Hepatic Infarction Caused by Portal Vein Thrombophlebitis Misdiagnosed as Infiltrative Hepatic Malignancy with Neoplastic Thrombus

Portal vein thrombosis (PVT) is a form of venous thrombosis that usually presents in chronic form without any sequalae in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) or liver cirrhosis. Accurate differential diagnosis of bland PVT from neoplastic PVT is an important step for planning treatment options, but the acute form can be challenging. Here we present a case of acute hepatic infarction caused by acute bland PVT combined with pylephlebitis, which was misdiagnosed as infiltrative hepatic malignancy with neoplastic PVT owing to the perplexing imaging results and elevated tumor markers. (Korean J Gastroenterol 2016;68:156-160)