Intra-arterial thrombolytic therapy for hepatic artery thrombosis after liver transplantation

Objective: To explore the clinical value of intra-arterial thrombolytic therapy for hepatic artery thrombosis after liver transplantation. Methods: Routine color doppler imaging (CDI) was used to detect hepatic artery thrombosis (HAT) after liver transplantation in 160 cases. Suspected patients were further confirmed by immediate angiography. Four cases of HAT were diagnosed and treated by intra-arterial thrombolysis. Two cases received repeatable transcatheter hepatic arterial thrombolysis with a low dose of urokinase. Results: Hepatic artery recanalization was achieved in 3 cases. Among the 3 cases, multiple HAT occurred in 1 case, intra-arterial thrombolysis was successfully completed in the end. Two cases had intra-abdominal hemorrhage, which was cured by conservative treatment. One case received retransplantation because of interventional thrombolysis failure and intra-abdominal hemorrhage. Conclusion: Intra-arterial thrombolytic therapy may be a promising method in the treatment of HAT. Transcatheter hepatic arterial thrombolysis shows a significant result.