Presentation of Hospital Outcomes and Different Treatment Methods of Patients with Budd-Chiari Syndrome: A Report from Two Tertiary Hospitals in Iran

Objective: The aim of this study was to report common presentations of Budd-Chiari syndrome (BCS) and the early outcome of different treatment methods in two tertiary hospitals in Iran. Subjects and Methods: This case series study was performed on 21 patients (mean age: 42 ± 13.09 years; 11 male, 52.4%, and 10 female, 47.6%) admitted for treatment of BCS in two tertiary referral centers in Mashhad, Iran, between 2002 and 2008. All required data of signs, underlying etiology, treatment methods and in-hospital mortality were gathered from patients’ medical records. Results: Angiographic and sonographic findings showed that the most frequent isolated location of obstruction was the inferior vena cava (n = 12, 57.1%). No distinct underlying disease was found in 6 (28.6%) patients. Eleven (52.4%) patients had web obstruction and 4 patients had other related underlying diseases. Treatment modalities consisted of medical follow-up in 12 (57.1%), angioplasty in 6 (28.6%), and surgery in 3 (14.3%) patients. Medical follow-up of 3 patients, 1 with angioplasty and 2 who had undergone surgery, disclosed that they had died before discharge from hospital. Conclusion: Higher age at diagnosis may reflect late diagnosis at an advanced stage of disease. We suggest that the early symptoms of this disease should be taken into account more seriously in differential diagnosis. Balloon angioplasty seems to be a more efficient method for treatment of BCS.