Mesoatrial shunt: a surgical option in the management of the Budd-Chiari syndrome.

The Budd-Chiari syndrome, arising from hepatic venous outflow obstruction, is frequently complicated by inferior vena caval occlusion or obstruction. Satisfactory decompression of the liver by either portacaval or mesocaval shunts may therefore prove impossible or be prone to failure from shunt thrombosis. The mesoatrial shunt which allows the portal vein to drain directly into the right atrium has previously been advocated in this situation. Five patients with the Budd-Chiari syndrome and caval occlusion and/or obstruction have had mesoatrial shunts constructed using externally supported polytetrafluoroethylene grafts. A single thoracoabdominal incision, incorporating a median sternotomy, was found to provide a satisfactory approach. All patients recovered well with resolution of ascites, diminution in liver size and improvement in inferior vena caval pressure gradients. Furthermore, all shunts have remained patent, as determined by Doppler flow studies and contrast-enhanced computed tomographic scanning, during follow-up periods ranging from 9 to 16 months. If these results are supported by longer term studies, the mesoatrial shunt may become the surgical treatment of choice in patients with hepatic vein occlusion and the Budd-Chiari syndrome associated with inferior vena caval obstruction.