Budd‑Chiari syndrome in small hepatic veins: A diagnostic and therapeutic challenge in a low resource setting

Budd-Chiari syndrome (BCS) is a rare condition affecting one in a million adults. BCS involves outflow obstruction in thehepatic venous system, which can occur anywhere between the small hepatic veins and the atrio-caval junction and cannot be due toheart, pericardial, or hepatic veno-occlusive disease. Case Presentation: We report an exceedingly rare form of BCS with less commoninitial clinical features in a young poor adult male patient which ignited a diagnostic uncertainty and a therapeutic challenge. Thepresence of the classical triad of BCS in the absence of major hepatic vein obstruction prompted the medical team to consider that thepatient had a rare form of BCS. In this case, the financial condition of the patient and limited resources available restricted our ability toadvance into the specific investigations. However, the patient was given symptomatic medical treatment and was followed up monthly.We also provided the patient with a statement that reaffirmed our inability to provide affordable surgical management options andcalled for an optimized national clinical guideline that could help the physicians deal with the challenges. Conclusion: An uncommonform of BCS in this patient provided a diagnostic challenge and therapeutic uncertainty in the low-resource settings. Primary carephysicians should commence evidenced medical management based on clinical suspicion acknowledging the fact that obstruction ofsmall hepatic veins is often not detected on an ultrasound.