Portal Vein Thrombosis

1. Pathogenesis:

• Five causes of portal vein thrombosis:
  1. Pancreatitis
  2. Cirrhosis
  3. Hepatic or biliary surgery
  4. Hepatoma with tumor thrombus
  5. Hypercoagulable states
      
• Following thrombosis of the portal vein, the periportal collateral vessels recanalize.

2. Radiographic findings:

• CT: shown below is an example of carcinoma in the hepatic vein.