Digital splenoportography

CO2 Digital Subtraction Splenoportography with the ?Skinny? Needle: Experimental Study in a Swine Model

“…Although the technique of CO 2 splenoportography is similar to those of traditional procedures [2,5,6,12], it has some advantages. The most significant of these is the safety of the procedure.…”

“…The "skinny" needle allows injection of large quantities of CO 2 into the spleen. When contrast material is used for splenoportography, dilute contrast should be used at a lower rate [6,8]. One disadvantage of the use of the "skinny" needle is the inability to measure the splenic pulp pressure, as blood would not return through the needle.…”

“…Since the reports in 1951 that the portal vein could be visualized by intrasplenic injection of contrast material, sple-noportography has been used for evaluation of patients with cirrhosis and portal hypertension, before and after portosystemic shunt surgery [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]. The procedure involves percutaneous introduction of a needle (16 to 22 gauge) into the spleen and intrasplenic injection of 24 -30 cm 3 of contrast material in 4 -5 sec [5,6,8].…”

“…Since the reports in 1951 that the portal vein could be visualized by intrasplenic injection of contrast material, sple-noportography has been used for evaluation of patients with cirrhosis and portal hypertension, before and after portosystemic shunt surgery [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]. The procedure involves percutaneous introduction of a needle (16 to 22 gauge) into the spleen and intrasplenic injection of 24 -30 cm 3 of contrast material in 4 -5 sec [5,6,8]. Although the method was proven to be safe and effective, it has been replaced by arterial portography (visualization of the portal vein and its branches by intra-arterial injection of contrast material) and noninvasive imaging methods (ultrasound, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance venography).…”