Children with liver cirrhosis frequently develops portal hypertension. One of the serious complications to portal hypertension is splenomegaly, which may result in pancytopenia, especially thrombocytopenia that may cause bleeding tendencies. Symptomatic splenomegaly is often treated with partial splenic embolization (PSE). PSE is effective but may give rise to postembolization syndrome not well tolerated in the pediatric population. In adults, microwave ablation (MWA) has been used to treat splenomegaly with promising results but with less post-operative pain. Our study is a pilot trial to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of this treatment in children.
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Inclusion Criteria: * Spleen length \> +2 standard deviations of normal limit * Platelet count below 30-35 x 109 cells/L and a history of bleeding tendencies * Symptoms of portal hypertension such as splenomegaly, thrombocytopenia, leucopenia, ascites, esophageal or gastric varices, hypertensive gastropathy, anal hemorrhoids and increased portal scintigraphy index, where alternative methods have not been enough or suitable * A necessity for reduction of splenic volume due to splenic inhibition of motion and activity in the child Exclusion Criteria: * Age younger than 10 or older than 17 years of age * Legal guardians or child do not give consent * Ongoing infection