[Left-side portal hypertension as a clinical problem].

Left-sided portal hypertension (LSPH) is caused by isolated obstruction (in most cases--thrombosis) of splenic vein. In about 50% of patients it generates a haemorrhage from gastric or oesophageal varices, rarer from other sources in abdominal cavity. The most common origin of the splenic vein thrombosis is a pancreatic disease--acute or chronic pancreatitis or neoplasm. The procedure of choice in the management of the haemorrhage in these cases is splenectomy. The advantages of prophylactic splenectomy in LSPH have not been verified yet.