Radiologic evaluation of portosystemic shunts in humans and small animals : review of the literature with clinical case reports

Umek, Nejc (author), Plut, Domen (author), Krofič, Martina (author), Domanjko-Petrič, Aleksandra (author)

The portal venous system is a network of vessels that carry blood from the capillary beds of the major abdominal organs to the liver. During embryology, the portal venous system can develop aberrantly, leading to vascular connections between the portal and systemic venous circulation known as portosystemic shunts. The purpose of this comparative review with a few short representative case reports was to present the similarities and differences in portosystemic shunts in humans and small animals and their radiologic evaluation. Aberrant vascular connections between the portal and systemic venous circulation enable portal blood to bypass metabolism and detoxification in the liver, leading to significant clinical implications. Portosystemic shunts are very rare in humans, but these connections are much more common in small animals, affecting up to 0.6% of small animals. Portosystemic shunts can be congenital or acquired and are divided into intrahepatic and extrahepatic types. Because of its ability to accurately assess abdominal structures, large vessels, and their flow dynamics without anesthesia, ultrasonography has become the first imaging modality employed for the diagnostic evaluation of portosystemic shunts in both humans and small animals. This is usually followed by contrast-enhanced computed tomographic angiography in order to better define the exact shunt anatomy and to plan treatment. It is important to understand the embryology, anatomy, pathology, and pathophysiology of portosystemic shunts in order to understand the findings of radiologic imaging and to initiate appropriate treatment.

• Language: English
• Keywords: portosystemic shunt, ultrasonography, computational tomographic angiography
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.02 - Review Article
• Organization: VF - Veterinary Faculty; MF - Faculty of Medicine
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Publication date: 01.01.2023
• Year: 2023
• Number of pages: Str. 1-15
• Numbering: Vol. 13, iss. 3, [article no.] 482
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-144166
• UDC: 616-07
• ISSN on article: 2075-4418
• DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics13030482
• COBISS.SI-ID: 139864835
• Publication date in RUL: 02.02.2023

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Diagnostics
• Shortened title: Diagnostics
• Publisher: MDPI AG
• ISSN: 2075-4418
• COBISS.SI-ID: 519963673

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: portosistemski obvod, ultrazvok, računalniška tomografska angiografija

Projects

• Funder: ARRS - Slovenian Research Agency
• Project number: P3-0043
• Name: Molekularni mehanizmi razvoja in delovanja skeletne mišice

• Funder: ARRS - Slovenian Research Agency
• Project number: P4-0053
• Name: Endokrini, imunski in encimski odzivi pri zdravih in bolnih živalih