what is a shunt?

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* A portosystemic shunt (PSS), also known as a liver shunt, is a bypass of the

liver by the

body's circulatory system. It can be either man made such as TIPS (transjuglar

intrahepatic-portosystemic-shunt) when the doctor places a wire cage into the

liver from inside by threading a catheter down through the juglar vein or can be

spontaneous, such as varicies. This is done to relieve the high blood pressure

in the portal vein, which causes blood vessels to swell. Arteries are made for

higher pressures than veins, and the end result is veins that stretch out, and

become " varicose " . They can appear on the belly, and inside the rectum and

esophagus. Many times a hepatologist will place the patient on a proton pump

inhibitor to discourage acid from eroding the lining of these tissues to lessen

the chances of bleeding. A routine EDG is done every two years to screen for

varicies. Either type of shunt can cause blood to not be filtered my the liver.

This can result in encephalopathy. The ammonia hypothysis has been around for a

hundred years. In

Russia, in the 1800's, doctors experimented on dogs by shunting the blood

supply and bypassing the liver. The result was that a dog would become comatose

very quickly. Hepatic encephalopathy is a common problem in vetrinary medicine

as well, as Sharon and I saw dozens of websites dedicated to lactulose therapy

for fido.

http://www.malteseonly.com/shunt2.html

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