A case of portal vein stenting for portal vein stenosis due to pancreatic cancer recurrence after pancreatoduodenectomy

We report a case of portal vein stenosis due to pancreatic cancer recurrence that was successfully treated with intravenous stent implantation. The patient was a 70-year-old man who had undergone a subtotal stomach-preserving pancreatoduodenectomy with the modified Child method for pancreatic cancer. He was readmitted due to melena, dorsal pain, and severe ascites 8 months after the operation. Computed tomography (CT) findings revealed that pancreatic cancer recurrence had narrowed the portal vein. Neither gastrointestinal nor colon endoscopy could locate the source of gastrointestinal bleeding. Bleeding from the varices increased, and a hepatopetal collateral was considered to be the cause. We therefore placed an intravenous stent at the site of portal vein stenosis, by the transileocolic portal vein. After the stent placement, no further gastrointestinal hemorrhagic episodes occurred.