Prepancreatic postduodenal portal vein: report of a case.

We report an unusual case of a prepancreatic postduodenal portal vein (PPPV), incidentally discovered during total gastrectomy. If it had not been noticed, this portal vein might have been ligated and divided with disastrous consequences. This anomaly was not diagnosed preoperatively, but it could have been. Although embryological anomalies of the portal venous system, such as PPPV and preduodenal portal vein, are rarely encountered in abdominal surgery, surgeons must be aware of their possibility and be able to recognize them to avoid major intraoperative injury.