Splenoportagraphy in portal hypertension; its value in selecting the operative procedure of choice.

Splenoportagraphy has become an almost indispensable adjunct to the surgical management of portal hypertension. In many instances it will provide the basis for the selection of the operative procedure. Certain instances of intrahepatic portal hypertension due to cirrhosis that might better be managed by splenorenal shunt rather than by the generally preferred method of direct end-to-side portacaval shunt may be determined by this procedure. The procedure finds its greatest application in the accurate delineation of the three major types of extrahepatic portal hypertension, each of which demands a different surgical approach.