[The portacaval anastomosis (author's transl)].

All patients treated in the authors' clinic for portal hypertension from 1958 to 1975 are reviewed and the problems encountered with portacaval anastomoses are explained with special reference to encephalopathy and hepatic failure. Intrahepatic block was recorded in 88% of 722 patients. Portacaval anastomoses were constructed in 292 cases, splenorenal anastomoses in 175, and mesenterico-caval anastomoses in 12. Among the patients with stationary cirrhosis, the 6-year survival was unrelated to the type of operation performed and amounted to approximately 70%, while 6-year survival was only 40% in patients with progressive cirrhosis of the liver, whether they received surgical or conservative treatment.