Postshunt hemochromatosis with cardiomyopathy.

A case study is reported of a 40 year old male with alcoholic liver disease who, following portacaval shunt, developed hemochromatosis. Biopsy specimens of the liver taken at the time of the shunt and 10 months postoperatively showed no stainable iron. At autopsy, 26 months postoperatively, extensive parenchymal iron deposits were found in the liver, heart, pancreas, thyroid, adrenal, and kidney. Clinically the patient had a cardiomyopathy that in retrospect can be attributed to the cardiac iron deposits. Postshunt hemochromatosis is an infrequently recognized condition that is a potentially reversible cause of cardiac or hepatic decompensation in patients with portacaval shunts.