Pylephlebitis After Colonic Polypectomy Causing Fever and Abdominal Pain

Pylephlebitis: A Systematic Review on Etiology, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Infective Portal Vein Thrombosis

Pylephlebitis, defined as infective thrombophlebitis of the portal vein, is a rare condition with an incidence of 0.37-2.7 cases per 100,000 person-years, which can virtually complicate any intra-abdominal or pelvic infections that develop within areas drained by the portal venous circulation. The current systematic review aimed to investigate the etiology behind pylephlebitis in terms of pathogens involved and causative infective processes, and to report the most common symptoms at clinical presentation. We included 220 individuals derived from published cases between 1971 and 2022. Of these, 155 (70.5%) were male with a median age of 50 years. There were 27 (12.3%) patients under 18 years of age, 6 (2.7%) individuals younger than one year, and the youngest reported case was only 20 days old. The most frequently reported symptoms on admission were fever (75.5%) and abdominal pain (66.4%), with diverticulitis (26.5%) and acute appendicitis (22%) being the two most common causes. Pylephlebitis was caused by a single pathogen in 94 (42.8%) cases and polymicrobial in 60 (27.2%) cases. However, the responsible pathogen was not identified or not reported in 30% of the included patients. The most frequently isolated bacteria were Escherichia coli (25%), Bacteroides spp. (17%), and Streptococcus spp. (15%). The treatment of pylephlebitis consists initially of broad-spectrum antibiotics that should be tailored upon bacterial identification and continued for at least four to six weeks after symptom presentation. There is no recommendation for prescribing anticoagulants to all patients with pylephlebitis. However, they should be administered in patients with thrombosis progression on repeat imaging or persistent fever despite proper antibiotic therapy to increase the rates of thrombus resolution or decrease the overall mortality, which is approximately 14%.

Pylephlebitis after sigmoid colonic polypectomy

A man in his 40s presented with a 7-day history of fever and abdominal pain after polypectomy of the sigmoid colon. On physical examination, he had mild tenderness on deep palpation of the left lower abdominal quadrants without guarding, rigidity or rebound tenderness. Contrast-enhanced CT revealed the thrombosis of the inferior mesenteric vein and the portal vein. Blood cultures were positive for Escherichia coli We diagnosed him with pylephlebitis after colonic polypectomy, as a rare complication. He was started on cefmetazole and heparin. Antibiotic and anticoagulation therapy were initiated. He had a complete recovery within 17 days. The patient had no evidence of underlying hypercoagulable condition, and no signs of recurrence at a 3-month follow-up. Pylephlebitis after colonic polypectomy is extremely rare. Although bacteraemia after colonoscopy was a rare complication, phlebitis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of patients who present with persisted fever and abdominal pain after polypectomy.

Suppurative Thrombosis of the Portal Vein (Pylephlebits): A Systematic Review of Literature

Suppurative portal vein thrombosis (pylephlebitis) is an uncommon condition usually associated with an intra-abdominal infection or inflammatory process. In this study, we aimed to synthesize data on previously published cases according to the PRISMA guidelines. A total of 103 patients were included. Patients were more commonly male (71.8%) and had a mean age of 49 years. The most common infection associated with pylephlebitis was diverticulitis (n = 29, 28.2%), and Escherichia coli was the most isolated pathogen (n = 21, 20.4%). Blood cultures were positive in 64 cases (62.1%). The most common site of thrombosis was the main portal vein (PV) in 59 patients (57.3%), followed by the superior mesenteric vein (SMV) in 40 patients (38.8%) and the right branch of the PV in 30 patients (29.1%). Sepsis developed in 60 patients (58.3%). The mortality rate in our review was 8.7%, and independent risk factors for mortality were the presence of pertinent comorbidities (OR 5.5, p = 0.02), positive blood cultures (OR 2.2, p = 0.02), and sepsis (OR 17.2, p = 0.049).

A rare case of pylephlebitis after colonic polypectomy

Pylephlebitis or infective suppurative thrombosis of the portal mesenteric venous system is an uncommon condition that can potentially be deadly if not recognized and treated early. Although most commonly associated with pancreatitis and diverticulitis, any intra-abdominal or pelvic infection occurring in the region drained by the portal venous system can cause this rare entity. We report a case of a 75-year-old woman who developed post polypectomy pylephlebitis following colonoscopy, a condition rarely reported in the literature.