Anticoagulation Therapy for Splanchnic Vein Thrombosis Associated With Acute Pancreatitis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Splanchnic vein thrombosis (SVT) is not rare in patients with acute pancreatitis. It remains unclear about whether anticoagulation should be given for acute pancreatitis-associated SVT. The PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases were searched. Rates of SVT recanalization, any bleeding, death, intestinal ischemia, portal cavernoma, and gastroesophageal varices were pooled and compared between patients with acute pancreatitis-associated SVT who received and did not receive therapeutic anticoagulation. Pooled rates and risk ratios (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. Heterogeneity among studies was evaluated. Overall, 16 studies including 698 patients with acute pancreatitis-associated SVT were eligible. After therapeutic anticoagulation, the pooled rates of SVT recanalization, any bleeding, death, intestinal ischemia, portal cavernoma, and gastroesophageal varices were 44.3% (95%CI = 32.3%-56.6%), 10.7% (95%CI = 4.9%-18.5%), 13.3% (95%CI = 6.9%-21.4%), 16.8% (95%CI = 6.9%-29.9%), 21.2% (95%CI = 7.5%-39.5%), and 29.1% (95%CI = 16.1%-44.1%), respectively. Anticoagulation therapy significantly increased the rate of SVT recanalization (RR = 1.69; 95%CI = 1.29-2.19; P < .01), and marginally increased the risk of bleeding (RR = 1.98; 95%CI = 0.93-4.22; P = .07). The rates of death (RR = 1.42; 95%CI = 0.62-3.25; P = .40), intestinal ischemia (RR = 2.55; 95%CI = 0.23-28.16; P = .45), portal cavernoma (RR = 0.51; 95%CI = 0.21-1.22; P = .13), and gastroesophageal varices (RR = 0.71; 95%CI = 0.38-1.32; P = .28) were not significantly different between patients who received and did not receive anticoagulation therapy. Heterogeneity was statistically significant in the meta-analysis of intestinal ischemia, but not in those of SVT recanalization, any bleeding, death, portal cavernoma, or gastroesophageal varices. Anticoagulation may be effective for recanalization of acute pancreatitis-associated SVT, but cannot improve the survival. Randomized controlled trials are warranted to further investigate the clinical significance of anticoagulation therapy in such patients.