Peritoneo-venous shunting in patients with cirrhotic ascites and end-stage renal failure.

End-stage renal failure supervened in two cirrhotic patients with ascites, necessitating maintenance hemodialysis therapy. One patient had a functioning LeVeen peritoneo-jugular shunt (Becton-Dickinson, Rutherford, NJ) in place at the time that hemodialysis was initiated. In the other patient, a LeVeen shunt was inserted 8 months after beginning hemodialysis, after extracorporeal ultrafiltration had failed to resolve his ascites. Both patients achieved control of their ascites and enjoyed relatively long survival. Our results suggest that, in patients with cirrhotic ascites who develop end-stage renal failure, successful long-term management can be obtained using a combination of peritoneo-venous shunting and maintenance hemodialysis.