Pediatric living donor liver transplant in a recipient with biliary atresia and portal vein duplication: How did we manage it?

Abstract

Portal vein malformations might occur during the embryonic period, as a consequence of abnormal remodeling of vitelline veins during embryonic life. Patients suffering from biliary atresia are particularly prone to have vascular malformations; although being the most frequent indication for liver transplantation in the pediatric age, portal vein duplication has not been so far associated with biliary atresia, and to the best of our knowledge, there is no-written evidence describing how to manage it when it is first diagnosed while performing a pediatric liver transplant. Therefore, we present a recent case from our group, describing the intraoperative diagnosis of a double portal system in a patient with biliary atresia and failed Kasai. We aim to describe its surgical management, understanding that it is a real challenge to find them unexpectedly during the surgical procedure in the setting of cirrhosis and portal hypertension, particularly in small patients; therefore, by reporting this case, we aim to make readers aware about the chance of finding it, and how to managed it, to include this approach as part of the surgical armamentarium.