Comparative effectiveness of plasma prepared with amotosalen-UVA pathogen inactivation and conventional plasma for support of liver transplantation.

BACKGROUND: Liver transplant may require large-volume plasma transfusion with increased risk of transfusion-transmitted infection (TTI). Pathogen inactivation of plasma with amotosalen-UVA offers the potential to mitigate TTI risk. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: A retrospective cohort design was used to compare the therapeutic efficacy and key safety outcomes for liver transplants supported with quarantine plasma (Q-FFP [reference]) or amotosalen-UVA plasma (IBS plasma [test]). The outcomes evaluated were volume of plasma, the numbers of red blood cell (RBC) components, and the total dose of platelets (PLTs) transfused during and 7 days after transplant. The safety outcomes were acute hepatic artery thrombosis (HAT) and mortality. RESULTS: Transplantation and transfusion records for 212 Q-FFP transplants and 215 IBS plasma transplants were reviewed. Not all transplants required plasma; 161 received Q-FFP and 174 received IBS plasma. Among the transplants that required plasma, there were significant differences in median values between cohorts for delay to transplantation (p=0.002), model end-stage liver disease score (p<0.001), pretransplant hematocrit (p=0.006), and graft cold perfusion time (p=0.033). The median volumes of plasma transfused were not different for test and reference (2.160 L vs. 1.969 L, p=0.292). Transplants in the test cohort required a mean of 3.7% more RBC components (p=0.767) and on average a 16.5% increase in total PLT dose (p=0.518). No significant differences were observed for the frequency of acute HAT or mortality. CONCLUSION: In this retrospective study, IBS plasma provided therapeutic support of liver transplant not different from Q-FFP.

Hepatitis C recurrence after liver transplantation: has the human leukocyte antigen mismatching at individual loci a role?

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The objective of this 11-year cohort retrospective study conducted in adult patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) who underwent liver transplantation (LT) was to identify whether human leukocyte antigen (HLA) mismatching is associated with the recurrence of HCV and with the time to recurrence of HCV. METHODS: Among the 181 patients (74% men; mean age: 54 years, range 25-71) who underwent a LT between 1995 and 2006 in the study center, 163 had relevant data in their medical chart documenting HCV recurrence, and 107 (65.64%) reported a histological evidence of HCV recurrence. RESULTS: Survival was 78% at 5 years. There was no significant relationship between the total score of HLA-mismatches and the recurrence of HCV. Similarly, there was no significant relationship between the total score of HLA mismatches and the time to recurrence of HCV. For the analyses at each individual locus, a significant relationship between the individual scores of HLA-mismatches and the recurrence of HCV were observed. Out of the 40 patients who experienced a rejection, the rate of recurrence was not different according to the severity of the rejection (75% mild, 64% moderate and 64% for severe rejection). CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, this large study did not demonstrate any relationship between the total score of HLA mismatches and HCV-recurrence. Contrarily a significant relationship between the individual scores of HLA mismatches (HLA-A3, HLA-B35, HLA-DR3, HLA-DR7, HLA-DQ2, HLA-DQ2-0) and the recurrence of HCV were observed.

Robotic liver resection as a bridge to liver transplantation.

BACKGROUND: The surgical robotic system is superior to traditional laparoscopy in regards to 3-dimensional images and better instrumentation. Robotic surgery for hepatic resection has not yet been extensively reported. The aim of this article is to report the first known case of liver resection with the use of a robot in France. METHODS: A 61-year-old male with hepatitis C liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma was referred for surgical treatment. Preoperative clinical evaluation and laboratory data disclosed a Child-Pugh class A5 patient. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a 3.4-cm tumor in segment III. Liver size was normal, and there were not signs of portal hypertension. Five trocars were used. RESULTS: Liver transection was achieved with Harmonic scalpel and bipolar forceps without pedicle clamping. Hemostasis of raw surface areas was accomplished with interrupted stitches. Operative time was 180 minutes. Blood loss was minimal, and the patient did not receive transfusion. The recovery was uneventful, and the patient was discharged on the fifth postoperative day without ascites formation. CONCLUSION: The robotic approach may enable liver resection in patients with cirrhosis. The da Vinci robotic system allowed for technical refinements of laparoscopic liver resection due to 3-dimensional visualization of the operative field and instruments with wrist-type end-effectors.

Successful liver transplantation for Rendu-Weber-Osler disease, a single centre experience.

UNLABELLED: BACKROUNDS/PURPOSE: Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia or Rendu-Weber-Osler is an autosomal dominant inherited disorder characterized by arteriovenous malformations and telangiectasia that may affect the nose, skin, lungs, brain and gastrointestinal tract. Liver involvement of the disease has been described to be responsible of biliary tract necrosis, high cardiac output and portal hypertension, due to intra-hepatic vascular shunts. We aimed to present four cases of successful orthotopic liver transplantations in this indication performing our modified Piggy-back technique. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between 2002 and 2008, four patients have been diagnosed for Rendu-Weber-Osler disease and underwent liver transplantation. Three of them suffered from high cardiac output with heart failure, two presented HBV infection and one patient suffered from renal failure requiring a liver-kidney transplantation. We performed our modified Piggy-back technique for liver implantation, which consists to clamp selectively the hepatic veins during the hepatectomy, without venous bypass, the retro-hepatic vena cava is preserved. RESULTS: No hemodynamic concerns disturbed the surgery and no massive transfusions were needed. The liver replacement corrected the cardiac insufficiency due to high cardiac output for the three patients. At present, the four patients are getting well. CONCLUSIONS: Despite new advances in immunotherapy for the medical treatment of Rendu-Weber-Osler disease, liver transplantation remains the curative option for hepatic based-hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia.

Reye syndrome and liver transplantation.

Reye syndrome is a rare, but severe and often fatal disease. The etiology of the classical Reye syndrome is unknown, but it is typically preceded by a viral infection with a free interval of three to five days. The main physiopathological hypothesis is a mitochondrial metabolism insult causing acute liver failure and encephalopathy. Survivors present serious neurological sequelae. The treatment of Reye syndrome is usually medical with intensive care management. Herein, we present the clinical case of a six-month-old baby diagnosed with Reye syndrome with a fulminant hepatitis, who was successfully liver transplanted with an auxiliary partial orthotopic liver transplantation.

Four hundred and twenty-three consecutive adults piggy-back liver transplantations with the three suprahepatic veins: was the portal systemic shunt required?

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The aim of this study is to analyze a single-center experience in orthotopic liver transplantation with the piggy-back technique (PB) realized with a cuff of three veins without temporary portacaval shunt. Outcome parameters were graft and patient survival and the surgical complications. METHODS: The records of 423 liver transplantation in 396 adult recipients were reviewed. PB was performed in all cases also in patients with transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunts and redo transplants without temporary portacaval shunt. No hemodynamic instability was observed during venous reconstruction. RESULTS: Operation time, cold ischemia time and anhepatic phase were, respectively, 316, 606 and 82 min, respectively. The mean intraoperative transfusion of packed red blood cells was 3.2 (range 1-48). Surgical complications were observed in 25% of the orthotopic liver transplantation and 2% of these was related to caval anastomosis. No case of caval thrombosis was observed; a stenosis was noted in seven patients, always treated with an endovascular approach. A postoperative ascites was observed in seven cases. Retransplantation was required in 6.3% patients. Overall in-hospital mortality was 5.3%, but no patient died through technical problems or complications related to PB procedure. One-, 3- and 5-year grafts and patients were 94%, 83% and 75%, and 92%, 86% and 79%, respectively. CONCLUSION: This experience indicates that our approach is feasible with a low specific risk and can be performed without portacaval shunt, with minimal outflow venous complications.

Passenger lymphocyte syndrome and liver transplantation.

The authors reviewed the passenger lymphocyte syndrome (PLS) that has appeared after transplantation. The definition, mechanism, serological, clinical features, and treatment for PLS after solid organ transplantation, especially liver transplantation, are described. The PLS refers to the clinical phenomenon of alloimmune hemolysis resulting from the adoptive transfer of viable lymphocytes from donor during solid organ or hematopoietic stem cell transplant. Sometimes, it is very severe and may cause "unexplained" hemolysis during the postoperative period. The authors reviewed literature about the PLS in liver transplantation.

Hepatocyte ploidy in normal young rat.

The aim of the present study was to examine the relation between hepatocyte size and ploidy in Sprague-Dawley rat liver. Therefore, subpopulations of hepatocytes of various sizes were separated from the isolated crude hepatocyte population either mechanically or by using centrifugal elutriation. Hepatocyte size was determined on scanning electron microscopy photographs. Ploidy of hepatocytes was assessed by flow cytometry. The crude hepatocyte population was very heterogeneous in sizes, with diameters ranging from 8 to 39 microm. Hepatocyte ultrastructure was well preserved as demonstrated by transmission electron microscopy. The distribution of hepatocytes within the ploidy classes was the following: 19.6+/-3.6% diploid, 56.2+/-3.2% tetraploid and 3.4+/-0.6% octoploid mononucleated cells. Thus approximately 79% of hepatocytes appeared mononucleated. The binucleated hepatocytes (21%) had two diploid nuclei (18.7+/-2.9%) or two tetraploid nuclei (2.1+/-0.6%). A similar distribution of hepatocytes into ploidy classes was obtained in subpopulations of hepatocytes of various sizes. Our findings suggest that distribution into ploidy classes is not strictly correlated with hepatocyte size. In accordance with previous observations, our results on hepatocyte ploidy from periportal or perivenous origin using digitonin perfusion, is in favour of the existence of ploidy zonation within the rat hepatic lobule.