Korean J Radiol.  2012 Feb;13(Suppl 1):S45-S55. 10.3348/kjr.2012.13.S1.S45.

Vascular Complications of Pancreatitis: Role of Interventional Therapy

Affiliations
  • 1Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology at University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Tx 78249, USA. BARGE@UTHSCSA.EDU
  • 2Vascular and Interventional Radiology at University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Tx 78249, USA.

Abstract

Major vascular complications related to pancreatitis can cause life-threatening hemorrhage and have to be dealt with as an emergency, utilizing a multidisciplinary approach of angiography, endoscopy or surgery. These may occur secondary to direct vascular injuries, which result in the formation of splanchnic pseudoaneurysms, gastrointestinal etiologies such as peptic ulcer disease and gastroesophageal varices, and post-operative bleeding related to pancreatic surgery. In this review article, we discuss the pathophysiologic mechanisms, diagnostic modalities, and treatment of pancreatic vascular complications, with a focus on the role of minimally-invasive interventional therapies such as angioembolization, endovascular stenting, and ultrasound-guided percutaneous thrombin injection in their management.

Keyword

Pseudoaneurysm; Pancreatitis; Hemorrhage; Vascular complications; Embolization; Stenting

MeSH Terms

Diagnostic Imaging
Embolization, Therapeutic/methods
Hemostasis, Endoscopic
Hemostatics/administration & dosage
Humans
Pancreatitis/*complications
Stents
Thrombin/administration & dosage
Ultrasonography, Interventional
Vascular Diseases/diagnosis/*etiology/physiopathology/*therapy
Vascular Surgical Procedures/*methods

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