The influences of ischemia-reperfusion injury in liver transplantation on intraoperative lung injury and postoperative pulmonary complications / 中华肝胆外科杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To study the effects of ischemia-reperfusion in liver transplantation on the pathophysiological changes of the lung and mechanisms of lung injury. Methods We studied 23 patients who received liver transplantation at Fuzhou General Hospital of PLA. We cut a small piece of the right lung for pathological study and for L-1β and TNF-a immunohistochemistry studies at 5 minutes after the beginning of operation (Ta), 5 minutes before the portal vein was opened (Tb) and three hours after the new liver was transplanted (Tc). We also collected peripheral blood to study the concentration of IL-1β and TNF-a in the plasma at the beginning of operation (T1), the portal vein 5 minutes before opening, the portal vein (T2) ten minutes after the opening (T3) , and one hour after the new liver was transplanted (T4), three hours after the new liver was transplanted (T5), and 12 hours after operation (T6). Results The cytokines TNF-a and IL-1β in peripheral blood were not obviously increased in the portal vein before it was opened, but were significantly increased after the portal vein was opened. Comparison of T1 and T2 separately with T3, T4 and T5 showed significant differences (P<0. 01). In light and electron microscopy, the structures of the lung tissues were normal at Ta and did not change significantly at Tb. There were significant abnormalities at Tc. The average positive points of TNF-a and IL-1β expressions in the lung tissues at Tc were significantly higher than Ta and Tb(P<0. 01). Conclusion Ischemia-reperfusion in liver transplantation led to a serious systemic inflammatory syndrome,and acute lung injury. TNF-a and IL-1β were involved in acute lung injury.