Portographic changes with time in patients with extrahepatic portal venous obstruction

Portographic changes of successive splenoportovenograms in 27 patients with extrahepatic portal venous obstruction (EHPO) over a mean period of 27 months have been studied. No extension of the portal vein thrombus was observed either in 20 patients with EHPO who had variceal obliteration by endoscopic sclerotherapy or in the 12 patients who remained without treatment for a mean period of 33.4 months (five of them were later subjected to sclerotherapy). There was no evidence of spread of thrombosis in the portal veins with time.