Selection of treatment modalities for Budd-Chiari Syndrome in China: a preliminary survey of published literature.

Aim: To evaluate the frequency of use of various treatment modalities for Budd-Chiari syndrome (BCS) in China by conducting a preliminary survey of relevant literature.

Methods: All papers regarding the treatment of BCS in Chinese patients were identified by searching PubMed, Chinese Scientific and Technological Journal, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases. Data regarding the number of BCS patients treated with different treatment modalities over time were collected. The proportions of BCS patients undergoing various treatment modalities were calculated.

Results: Overall, 300 of 3005 papers initially retrieved were included. These papers included 23352 BCS patients treated with different treatment modalities. The treatment modalities include surgery (n = 8625), interventional treatment (n = 13940), surgery combined with interventional treatment (n = 363), medical therapy (n = 277), other treatments (n = 91), and no treatment (n = 56). After 2005, the number of BCS patients treated with surgery was drastically decreased, but the number of BCS patients who underwent interventional treatment was almost maintained. Shunt surgery was the most common type of surgery (n = 3610). Liver transplantation was rarely employed (n = 2). Balloon angioplasty with or without stenting was the most common type of interventional treatment (n = 13747). Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt was rarely employed (n = 81).

Conclusion: Selection of treatment modalities for BCS might be different between China and Western countries. Further work should be necessary to establish a unanimous therapeutic strategy for BCS in China.