Partial splenic embolization to alleviate thrombocytopenia in stage III and IV pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma patients

Background: Thrombocytopenia may be a concern in treating pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas (PDAC). Due to anatomic position these tumors commonly cause narrowing or occlusion of the splenic vein which may lead to hypersplenism and thrombocytopenia due to sequestration. PDAC patients with thrombocytopenia have limited options for treatment. Partial splenic embolization (PSE) is a procedure developed as an alternative to splenectomy in...