Portal Vein Thrombosis treatment at the Clínic

Around 300 patients with portal vein thrombosis are currently being monitored at the hospital Clínic Barcelona, ​​with 25-30 new cases diagnosed each year.

The Clínic is a benchmark in the management of these patients and is part of the European Reference Network (ERN) for Rare Liver Diseases, as well as a European reference centre for their treatment.

These patients are cared for and monitored mainly by the doctors and nurses of the Hepatic Haemodynamics Section of the Hepatology Department of the Clinical Institute of Digestive and Metabolic Diseases (ICMDM). This section has extensive experience in the management of patients with portal vein hypertension and hepatic vascular diseases. It has a multidisciplinary team of hepatologists, radiologists, haematologists, surgeons and gynaecologists for comprehensive evaluation and management of patients, and has the most optimal treatment at every stage of the disease.

Various techniques are performed annually in the hepatic haemodynamics laboratory that are essential for the diagnosis and management of liver diseases. These techniques include:

• Suprahepatic vein catheterisations (more than 450 annually). This procedure measures the hepatic venous pressure gradient and is important for evaluating portal hypertension and other liver-related conditions.
• Liver biopsies (more than 250 each year). This technique consists of extracting a small sample of liver tissue for analysis and liver disease diagnosis, such as cirrhosis or hepatitis.
• Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunts (TIPS, more than 70 per year). This technique creates a new path for blood flow, which helps reduce pressure in the portal vein and treat complications of portal hypertension.