This method may also be helpful in confirming the patency/pcclusion of a portacaval shunt.

A portacaval shunt/ portal caval shunt is a treatment for high blood pressure in the liver.

Portacaval shunt surgery has not enjoyed great popularity because of the very high incidence of postoperative encephalopathy in the elderly.

Cirrhotic patients with portacaval shunts who have esophageal varices (or any upper GI bleed) can suffer ammonium intoxication which may lead to coma.

Before you take fat supplement, tell your doctor if you have any type of severe liver problems such as hepatitis, cirrhosis, high blood pressure inside the liver, brain or nervous system complications caused by severe liver damage, or if you have had a "portacaval shunt" placed in your body.

Dilation of this particular portacaval anastomosis results in what is referred to as caput medusae.

Esophageal varices - collateral portal blood flow through vessels in the stomach and esophagus (Portacaval anastomosis).

A portacaval anastomosis (also known as portal systemic anastomosis or portal caval system) is a specific type of anastomosis that occurs between the veins of portal circulation and those of systemic circulation.

Portacaval anastomosis, by contrast, is an anastomosis between a vein of the portal circulation and a vein of the systemic circulation, which allows blood to bypass the liver in patients with portal hypertension, often resulting in hemorrhoids, esophageal varices, or caput medusae.