Cirugía en el paciente cirrótico: características clínicas y complicaciones en una cohorte de pacientes chilenos / Surgical complications in cirrhotic patients: analysis of 102 cases

Background: Cirrhotic patients have an increased surgical risk due to potential intra and postoperative complications. Aim: To describe the clinical characteristics and surgical complications of cirrhotic patients undergoing surgery in a Chilean university hospital. Patients and Methods: Review of medical records of 102 cirrhotic patients aged 60 ± 11 years (52% males) who underwent elective or urgency surgery at an university hospital between 2010 and 2016. General, pre-surgical, and post-surgical complications were recorded. Results: The main etiologies of cirrhosis were non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (31%), and alcoholic cirrhosis (28%). Child-Pugh scores were A, B and C in 50, 28 and 22% of cases respectively. Median MELD (Model for End-stage Liver Disease) score was 11 (interquartile range: 10-15). The surgical procedure was elective in 71% of cases, with predominance of abdominal surgery (86%). The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score was three or more in 52% of patients. The frequency of any adverse outcome was 62%. The frequency increased along with the severity of cirrhosis and when surgery was urgent. The most common complications were acute renal failure (24%), increased ascites (23%) and encephalopathy (22%). Admission to intensive care unit occurred on 26% of patients, with six hospital deaths. Conclusions: In these patients, surgical complications were common, although with low mortality.

Lesiones focales hepáticas benignas: un hallazgo frecuente a la tomografía computada / Benign focal liver lesions detected by computed tomography: Review of 1,184 examinations

Background: Multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) of the abdomen, with use of contrast medium, is able to detect and differentiate most focal liver lesions. Aim: To determine the prevalence and features of benign focal liver lesions (BFLL) detected by abdominal MDCT. Patients and Methods: We reviewed the reports of contrast abdominal MDCT performed to outpatients between August 2011 and July 2012. Clinical data of examined patients and imaging findings in terms of description of the hepatic parenchyma and the presence of BFLL, were recorded. Results: Data from 1,184 studies were analyzed. Of these, 461 studies (38.4%) reported BFLL. The most prevalent lesions were simple cysts in 290 studies (24%) and hemangiomas in 61 studies (5.1%), granuloma-calcification in 39 (3.2%), focal nodular hyperplasia in 19 (1.6%) and one adenoma. If patients with known causes of liver disease were excluded, the prevalence of BFLL did not change substantially (lesions were found in 396 (37.5%) patients). Compared with livers with signs of damage, normal livers had more cystic lesions (27 and 16.2% respectively, p = 0.014) and hemangiomas (5.3 and 1.1% respectively, p = 0.043). Conclusions: BFLL are very common findings in MDCT studies. Most of these lesions are simple cysts and hemangiomas.