Portal Venous Thrombosis after Percutaneous Cryoablation for Renal Cell Carcinoma

Abstract

A 50-year-old man with von Hippel–Lindau disease underwent cryoablation (CRA) for two adjacent renal cell carcinomas in the upper pole of his right kidney. Although computed tomography (CT) immediately after CRA revealed involvement of part of the liver parenchyma in the ice-ball, the treatment was completed without complications. Contrast-enhanced CT on day 2 post-CRA revealed a thrombus in the portal vein of segment 6 near the ablated liver parenchyma, prompting the initiation of oral anticoagulation. The patient was discharged on day 4 after CRA without any sequelae, and a follow-up contrast-enhanced CT done 6 weeks later demonstrated resolution of the portal vein thrombus.

Keywords

• Complication, Cryoablation, Portal vein, Renal cell carcinoma, Thrombus