Background: There have been few reports of noninvasive treatment for portal vein thrombosis (PVT) after liver transplantation.
Methods: One adult patient and four pediatric patients developed PVT 5, 14, 14, 16, and 43 months after living-donor liver transplantation, respectively. All five of the patients received a 10-day course of systemic thrombolytic therapy with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator.
Results: After the treatment was completed, successful portal vein recanalization was demonstrated on ultrasonography or multidetector three-dimensional computed tomography angiography in all five cases.
Conclusion: Noninvasive treatment with systemic recombinant tissue plasminogen activator should be considered for selected patients with late-onset PVT after liver transplantation.