Fig. 1

Preoperative and postoperative computed tomography findings from the patients in the stent group. Computed tomography (CT) scan and endoscopy of a 36-year-old woman before and after stent insertion. A–C The preoperative contrast-enhanced CT showed severe splenic vein stenosis (red arrow), obvious gastric varices (yellow arrow), and an enlarged spleen. D The preoperative upper GI endoscopy showed marked gastric varices (yellow arrow) in the fundus and along the greater curvature of upper gastric corpus. E Radial EUS showed enlarged vascular lumen of the splenic vein around the hilus of spleen (yellow arrow), with blocked vein drainage and multiple submucosal fundal varices ranging from 5 to 7 mm in diameter. F–H Three months post-operatively, when the patient was re-examined, the contrast-enhanced CT scan showed that the main splenic vein and its branches were unobstructed. The stent was in place (red arrow) and the varicose veins at the base of the stomach (yellow arrow) had shrunk significantly. I Endoscopy performed 3 months post-operatively revealed significant regression of gastric varices. J Linear EUS showed tip of stent in the lumen of remnant splenic vein near the hilus of spleen. K–O Thirteen months post-operatively, the contrast-enhanced CT scan and endoscopy showed no recurrence of varicose veins at the base of the stomach (yellow arrow)