Hepatic arterioportal fistula: a curable cause of portal hypertension in infancy.

Hepatic arterioportal fistulae are a rare cause of portal hypertension. The case is reported of a two-year old girl with a congenital arterioportal fistula, who presented with splenomegaly and ascites. Colour doppler ultrasound showed a large shunt between the left hepatic artery and a branch of the left portal vein, producing a reversal of flow in the main portal vein. She was treated by a formal left hemihepatectomy, which has been successful in eliminating the fistula and its consequent portal hypertension in the long term. The literature regarding arterioportal fistulae and their treatment is reviewed.Peer Reviewe