Postoperative acute kidney injury in living donor liver transplantation recipients.

PURPOSE: There are many risk factors for postoperative acute kidney injury in liver transplantation. The aim of this study is to investigate the risk factors for postoperative acute kidney injury in living donor liver transplantation recipients. METHODS: 220 living donor liver transplantation recipients were retrospectively evaluated in the study. According to the Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes Guidelines, acute kidney injury in postoperative day 7 was investigated for all patients. The patient's demographic data, preoperative and intraoperative parameters, and outcomes were recorded. RESULTS: Acute kidney injury was found in 27 (12.3%) recipients. In recipients with acute kidney injury, female population, model for end-stage liver disease score, norepinephrine requirement, duration of mean arterial pressure less than 60 mmHg, the usage of gelatin and erythrocyte suspension and blood loss were significantly higher than recipients with nonacute kidney injury (for all p<0.05). In multivariate analyses, the likelihood of acute kidney injury on postoperative day 7 were increased 2.8-fold (1.1-7.0), 2.7-fold (1.02-7.3), 3.4-fold (1.2-9.9) and 5.1-fold (1.7-15.0) by postoperative day 7, serum tacrolimus level ≥10.2 ng dL-1, intraoperative blood loss ≥14.5 mL kg-1, the usage of gelatin >5 mL kg-1 and duration of MAP less than 60 mmHg ≥5.5 minutes respectively (for all p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In living donor liver transplantation recipients, serum tacrolimus levels, intraoperative blood loss, hypotension period and the usage of gelatin may be risk factors for acute kidney injury in the early postoperative period.

Association between hepatic alveolar echinococcosis and frequency of human leukocyte antigen class I and II alleles in Turkish patients.

BACKGROUND: Human alveolar echinococcosis (AE) is a potentially fatal, chronically progressive hepatic infestation that is characterized by a long asymptomatic period in which an invasive tumor-like lesion develops. Several studies have suggested that genetic susceptibility to AE may be linked to HLA class II alleles. We investigated the association between AE and antigen HLA-A, B, C, DR and DQ profiles of patients with hepatic AE (HAE) in the eastern part of Turkey. METHODS: This case-controlled study was performed on 44 unrelated patients with HAE and 76 control subjects. The diagnosis was supported by clinical, radiological, and histopathological evidence. The association of class I and class II HLA antigens was examined in the patients with HAE and control subjects. RESULTS: There was an increase in the antigen frequencies of HLA-DRB1*15, HLA-DQB1*02, 06, 07 in the HAE patientscompared with those in the control group (P < 0.05, P < 0.001, P < 0.01, P < 0.05, respectively). HLA-DQB1*02, 06, 07 were more frequent in patients with stages III and IV who were classified according to the PNM staging system. CONCLUSIONS: The present study indicates that susceptibility to HAE in the Turkish population is essentially HLA class II and poorly class I mediated, with HLA-26, and DRB1*015, DQB1* 02, 06, 07 with more allele distribution in the patient group. Our results are not similar to those of other studies, but contribute to the discussions on the association of HLA class I and class II alleles with AE.

The importance of local subcutaneous fat thickness in pilonidal disease.

PURPOSE: This study was designed to investigate the local subcutaneous fat thickness in sacrococcygeal pilonidal disease. METHODS: Subcutaneous fat thickness was measured by ultrasonography in 125 patients with sacrococcygeal pilonidal disease and 125 age-matched, body mass index-matched and gender-matched controls. RESULTS: The sacrococcygeal subcutaneous fat thickness was 14.4 +/- 2.9 mm, 18.3 +/- 3.1 mm, and 22 +/- 2.2 mm, respectively, in normal, overweight, and obese patients with sacrococcygeal pilonidal disease and 9.1 +/- 3.1 mm, 11.3 +/- 2.6 mm, and 20 +/- 1.8 mm, respectively, in normal, overweight, and obese controls. Sacrococcygeal fat was significantly thicker in normal and overweight patients with pilonidal disease compared with controls with same body mass index (P< 0.01). There were no significant differences in fat thickness between obese patients and obese controls (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Sacrococcygeal fat thickness, as a local factor, is closely associated with pilonidal disease.

Hepatic alveolar echinococcosis: clinical report from an endemic region.

OBJECTIVE: To review the clinical management of alveolar echinococcosis. DESIGN: A retrospective analysis. SETTING: A university-affiliated hospital in Turkey. PATIENTS: Forty patients treated for alveolar echinococcosis between 1987 and 2000. INTERVENTIONS: Curative resection followed by chemotherapy, or medical palliation with chemotherapy only. Palliative procedures such as bilioenteric or external drainage were done for cholestatic jaundice and liver abscess. OUTCOME MEASURES: Results of medical and surgical treatment. RESULTS: Seventeen patients had a resectable tumour and all underwent curative resection. Of the other 23 patients with nonresectable tumour, 11 underwent palliative surgical procedures such as bilioenteric or external drainage for cholestatic jaundice or liver abscess. All patients received long-term albendazole therapy. Four patients with nonresectable tumour died because of chronic liver failure. In a 6.5-year follow-up, there was no recurrence in patients who underwent curative resection. The efficacy of chemotherapy is limited in nonresectable disease. CONCLUSIONS: To increase the rate of early detection and curative resection, screening programs are essential. Research on new chemotherapeutic approaches should be made to improve survival in patients with nonresectable disease.