Severe complications from partial splenic embolization in patients with liver failure.

Transcatheter embolization of the spleen is gaining popularity as a non-surgical method of treatment for hypersplenism. While early reports documented frequent serious complications, a more recent study noted good results using a fractionated approach with only partial embolization of the periphery of the spleen. This technique was recently used on three patients with hypersplenism associated with severe liver disease. All had grave complications, including sepsis, pneumonia, abscess formation, and progressive liver failure, and all died within six weeks of the angiographic procedure in spite of good haematological responses. Since it is frequently this category of patient in whom the procedure is attempted, definitive surgical splenectomy is suggested following the embolization as soon as the clotting parameters return to normal.