Portal vein aneurysm causing obstructive jaundice

Portal vein aneurysms are not commonly encountered in clinical practice. They are usually extrahepatic and occasionally intrahepatic. Most are asymptomatic and detected incidentally; they may be associated with portal hypertension. Complications include thrombosis, rupture and formation of portosystemic shunts. A review of the Englishlanguage literature revealed 47 cases of portal vein aneurysm, but there has been only one Englishlanguage report in more than the last three decades of a such an aneurysm leading to cholestasis. We present such a case, together with a comprehensive review of the literature on portal vein aneurysms.