Long-term outcomes of interventional treatment for Budd-Chiari syndrome with chronic accessory hepatic vein obstruction.

OBJECTIVE: Interventional treatment is the main therapy for Budd-Chiari syndrome (BCS) with hepatic vein obstruction. The aim of this study was to investigate the long-term outcomes of endovascular management for BCS with chronic accessory hepatic vein (AHV) obstruction.

METHODS: In total, 68 patients with primary BCS who underwent AHV dilation with or without stenting from January 2008 to December 2018 were included in this retrospective study. The technical success rate and complications were recorded. Cumulative patency rates were estimated by the Kaplan-Meier curves and compared using the log-rank test.

RESULTS: Technical success was achieved in all 68 patients, and AHV patency was confirmed by postoperative angiography. Fifty-two patients underwent balloon dilation alone and 16 underwent adjunctive stent implantation. During a mean follow-up period of 60.2 ± 30.5 months, AHV reocclusion occurred in 14 patients in the balloon group and four patients in the stent group (χ= 0.034, P = 0.855). The overall cumulative 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year primary and secondary AHV patency rates were 90.6, 76.6, 72.0, and 68.2% and 98.4, 91.4, 89.2, and 89.2%, respectively. The cumulative 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year primary patency rates of the AHV were 89.8, 73.8, 71.2, and 71.2% in the balloon group and 93.3, 86.2, 75.4, and 60.3% in the stent group, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups (P = 0.934).

CONCLUSION: Interventional treatment of BCS with chronic AHV obstruction has good long-term outcomes. Both balloon dilation alone and adjunctive stent implantation can be used for AHV recanalization.