Development of collateral vessels was a significant predictive factor for the occurrence of PVT in virus-induced cirrhosis. Spontaneous resolution or unchanged appearance was the most common outcome of thrombosis, which had little influence on prognosis.

As the detectability of ultrasonically unrecognizable hypervascular HCC improved by contrast-enhanced US with Sonazoid, a wider application of percutaneous US-guided treatments may be possible.

In Japan, IPH patients had a high incidence of portal thrombosis, a significant factor for poor prognosis. Whether the management of PVT contributes to an improvement of a clinical course of IPH or not should be clarified in further study.

Portal hemodynamics offer a non-invasive marker for decompensation and prognosis of cirrhosis, suggesting a future direction for practical management.

No abstract