Left hepatic lobe atrophy and partial Budd-Chiari syndrome in a patient with alcoholic liver cirrhosis.

The unusual association of alcoholic liver cirrhosis, atrophy of the left hepatic lobe and endophlebitis of the left hepatic vein (partial Budd-Chiari-Syndrome) has been observed in a 72-year-old male. The atrophy of the left hepatic lobe was diagnosed by liver scanning and laparoscopy. The patient's condition finally deteriorated and he died in a chronic form of hepatic coma. At autopsy the right hepatic vein, the branches of the portal vein and the extrahepatic bile ducts were normal. The left hepatic vein showed the histological picture of an organized endophlebitis of indeterminate age.