Bilharzial portal fibrosis: an important cause of portal hypertension.

Thirty consecutive cases of portal hypertension seen in a surgical unit in Lusaka, Zambia, are reported. Of these cases 70% were due to portal fibrosis caused by Schistosoma mansoni infestation. Portacaval shunting was undertaken in most cases. Patients with portal fibrosis responded more favourably to portal decompression than did patients with cirrhosis. It is probable that the condition is more common than is generally reconigzed in areas where S. mansoni infestation is endemic.