Sequential venoplasty for treatment of inferior vena cava stenosis following liver transplant

Obstruction of the inferior vena cava (IVC) is a rare complication of liver transplantation with significant consequences including intractable ascites and hepatic dysfunction. Although venoplasty and stenting are effective in many cases, patients who fail first-line treatment may require surgical intervention or re-transplantation. Scheduled sequential balloon dilation, an approach frequently used to treat fibrotic, benign biliary strictures, but less commonly vascular lesions, may avert the need for such high-risk alternatives while achieving favorable clinical and angiographic response. Herein, we report the case of a 36-year-old woman with transplant-related, initially angioplasty-resistant IVC stenosis that was successfully treated with sequential balloon dilation.