Persistence of portosystemic collaterals and splenomegaly on CT after orthotopic liver transplantation.

OBJECTIVE: The appearances of portosystemic collaterals and splenomegaly on CT before and after liver transplantation were evaluated.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: The records of 54 patients undergoing liver transplantation during a 2.5-year period were reviewed retrospectively. Twenty-five of these patients, in whom both a preoperative abdominal CT scan and a follow-up CT scan at least 1 year after transplantation had been obtained, were clinically well and had had no significant episodes of rejection, severe recurrent hepatitis, or other complication at the time of study. A total of 94 abdominal CT scans in these patients were reviewed to assess changes in portosystemic collaterals and splenic volume.
RESULTS: At 6 months after transplantation, portosystemic collaterals at one or more sites were seen in 14 (74%) of the 19 patients scanned at this time in whom collaterals had been seen on CT preoperatively. At 1 year after transplantation, splenic hilar collaterals persisted in 64% of patients, splenocolic ligament collaterals in 50%, retroperitoneal collaterals in 38%, and peripancreatic collaterals in 38% of patients with preoperative varices at these sites who were examined with CT at this interval. Splenic hilar, coronary, and retroperitoneal collaterals were found to persist for up to 4 years after transplantation in the single patient examined at that time. Splenic volume decreased in 94% of patients examined after transplantation, with a mean reduction of 60 +/- 19%. However, the spleen remained significantly enlarged in 56% of patients.
CONCLUSION: We conclude that portosystemic collaterals and splenomegaly frequently persist after liver transplantation, but that this finding need not indicate recurrence of hepatic disease or other posttransplantation complications.