[Umbilical collateral circulation in liver cirrhosis - Cruveilhier-v. Baumgarten syndrome (author's transl)].

Embryonal development and anatomy of the liver are shortly discussed; they do explain collateral circulation in liver cirrhosis. A case report is given of a patient with umbilical collateral circulation (Cruveilhier-v. Baumgarten syndrome), exhibiting impressive clinical and radiological findings. Such an umbilical collateral circulation will develop in up to 21% of all patients with an intrahepatic block. This is only one variant - not prone to complications by the way - of a multitude of different portosystemic shunts in liver cirrhosis. Therefore it should not be talked about as an independent syndrome.