โ Scribed by W. F. Hendry; W. A. Mackey
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
EXTRAHEPATIC obstruction of the portal venous system frequently affects children and young people, some at least of whom may be expected to survive to adult life. Gibson, Johnstone, Fulton, and Rodgers (1965) suggested that the minimum objective of treatment should be to enable these patients to lead normal lives, but recognized that the possibility and advisability of pregnancy are questions of some importance. Stathers, Ma, and Blackburn (1968) did not consider this disease a contra-indication to pregnancy. However, Hermann and Esselstyn (1967) regarded pregnancy as the major factor causing recurrent bleeding in 2 patients with previously obliterated varices, and Farkas (1967) recommended that these women should be protected from pregnancy and that, if pregnancy occurred, it should be terminated.
In the past 15 years, 17 patients with extrahepatic portal venous obstruction have been treated surgically in the Professorial Surgery Unit at Glasgow Royal Infirmary. Five were women under 40 years of age and 3 of them married and became pregnant during the period of surveillance. T h e clinical course of these patients is described and considered i n association with a review of 14 previously reported cases.
๐ SIMILAR VOLUMES
## Abstract Two cases of Gaucher's disease with portal hypertension are dscribed, of which one was relieved by splenectomy and the other, which had recurrent bleeding from oesophageal varices, by portacaval anastomosis. These cases demonstrate that portal hypertension in this condition may be due t