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World J Gastroenterol. Aug 21, 2019; 25(31): 4437-4451
Published online Aug 21, 2019. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v25.i31.4437
Portal vein thrombosis in cirrhosis: Why a well-known complication is still matter of debate
Mariella Faccia, Maria Elena Ainora, Francesca Romana Ponziani, Laura Riccardi, Matteo Garcovich, Antonio Gasbarrini, Maurizio Pompili, Maria Assunta Zocco
Mariella Faccia, Maria Elena Ainora, Francesca Romana Ponziani, Laura Riccardi, Matteo Garcovich, Antonio Gasbarrini, Maurizio Pompili, Maria Assunta Zocco, Department of Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, Catholic University, Rome 00168, Italy
Author contributions: Faccia M and Zocco MA conceived, wrote and revised the article; Ainora ME, Ponziani FR, Riccardi L, Gasbarrini A and Pompili M critically revised manuscript content; Garcovich M revised manuscript content and language.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the Authors have no conflict of interest related to the manuscript.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Mariella Faccia, MD, Academic Fellow, Doctor, Department of Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, Catholic University, Largo A. Gemelli 8, Rome 00168, Italy. mariellafaccia4@gmail.com
Telephone: +39-3405457425
Received: May 5, 2019
Peer-review started: May 5, 2019
First decision: June 10, 2019
Revised: July 8, 2019
Accepted: July 19, 2019
Article in press: July19, 2019
Published online: August 21, 2019
Processing time: 111 Days and 1.4 Hours
Core Tip

Core tip: Portal vein thrombosis (PVT) represents a common and potential life-threating complication of liver cirrhosis. Anticoagulant therapy is advised in selected cases, in particular for liver transplant candidates. Despite the advanced knowledge in PVT pathogenesis and diagnosis, many issues regarding its natural history and prognostic outcome remain elusive. Likewise, the safer anticoagulant option, the potential role of direct oral anticoagulants and the optimal duration of therapy are still matter of debate. Given the clinical significance of this pathological entity, these cardinal issues should urgently be addressed in large prospective cohort studies and randomized trails.