Predictive Value of Preoperative ICG-R15 Testing in Post-hepatectomy Liver Failure Following Major Liver Resection: Indian Experience.

Surgical resection stands as the preeminent therapeutic approach for both primary hepatocellular carcinoma and metastatic liver malignancies. Its efficacy is contingent upon the attainment of a comprehensive excision while ensuring a sufficient future liver remnant (FLR). However, post-hepatectomy liver failure (PHLF) remains a significant challenge, particularly in patients with preexisting liver disease. The present study aims to investigate the predictive value of the preoperative indocyanine green retention test at 15 min (ICG-R15) in identifying patients at risk of PHLF following major liver resection. This retrospective review focused on patients who underwent the ICG-R15 test before major liver resection between August 2021 and January 2023. All patients underwent standard preoperative evaluation and staging. Patients with primary or metastatic liver cancer planned for major resection and undergoing ICG-R15 were included in the study. Patients with elevated serum bilirubin (> 3 mg/dl) and those not undergoing liver resection or minor liver resection (< 3 segments) were excluded from the study. PHLF was defined by the International Study Group of Liver Surgery (ISGLS) criteria. Follow-up was performed to identify 90-day morbidity. Using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses, we confirmed independent risk parameters that predicted postoperative major complications and severe PHLF. The study included 72 patients who underwent preoperative ICG-R15 testing prior to major liver resection. PHLF occurred in 28 patients (38.9%), with 24 patients (33.3%) classified as severity score B and 3 patients (4.16%) had severity score C. Univariate analysis revealed future liver remnant (FLR), ICG-R15, and blood transfusion as predictors of PHLF. Multivariate analysis confirmed FLR (p = 0.019) and ICG-R15 (p = 0.032) as significant predictors. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis yielded an area under the curve of 0.642 for ICG-R15 in predicting PHLF. An optimal cut-point of 7.5 was determined. Our study highlights the importance of preoperative risk assessment of liver function evaluation using the ICG-R15 test, to predict the risk of PHLF following liver resection. Implementing appropriate interventions, especially in patients with borderline FLR, can improve surgical outcomes and enhance patient safety. Further research and prospective studies are essential to refine risk prediction models and improve rates of PHLF after liver resections.

Near-infrared fluorescence imaging with indocyanine green for assessment of donor livers in a rat model of ischemia-reperfusion.

BACKGROUND: Although marginal donor livers expand the donor pool, an ideal method for quantitatively evaluating the quality of donor livers has not been developed. This study aimed to explore the feasibility of indocyanine green (ICG) fluorescence imaging for estimating liver function in an ischemia-reperfusion model. METHODS: Forty-eight rats were randomly and evenly divided into 8 groups: the control group and the experimental groups (I-VII). The portal vein blocking period was 0 min, 10 min, 20 min, 30 min, 40 min, 50 min and 60 min. After blood flow was reestablished and the hemodynamics stabilized, ICG was injected through the dorsal penile vein as a bolus, and the fluorescence signal was recorded for 30 min in real time. The fluorescence intensity (FI) curve of the liver was fitted with an asymptotic regression model. Fresh liver tissues and serum were obtained from the middle lobe of the liver on postoperative day (POD) 1 and POD 7 for histopathological evaluation and liver function tests. RESULTS: The growth rate of the FI curve, parameter b3, decreased from groups I to VII. According to the two sudden changes in b3 (20 min, 50 min), the experimental groups could be classified into 3 groups (A, B and C). Hepatocytes in groups I-II showed slight edema, group III began to show obvious hepatocyte edema and vacuolar degeneration, and in groups VI-VII, severe hepatocyte degeneration, necrosis and large inflammatory cell infiltration were observed. Suzuki's scores in the 3 groups were also significantly different (P < 0.01). At the same time, the serum liver function in the experimental groups showed a significant increase on POD 1 and a decrease on POD 7. The alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and total bilirubin (TB) levels of groups A, B, and C were significantly different on POD 1 (P < 0.05), and the ALT and direct bilirubin (DB) levels were significantly different on POD 7 (P < 0.05); the lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) level of the group C was significantly higher than that of the groups A and B on POD 1 and POD 7. Meanwhile, the 7-day survival rate of the rats in group C was poor compared to that of the rats in groups A and B (58.3% vs. 100% vs. 100%). CONCLUSION: ICG fluorescence imaging is effective for estimating the degree of liver damage and grading in an ischemia-reperfusion model. It probably has the potential for use in assessing the quality of the donor liver in liver transplantation.

Efficacy of precise sequential therapy for primary liver cancer / 中华消化外科杂志

Objective To investigate the construction and implementation of the concept of precise sequential therapy for primary liver cancer.Methods The clinical data of 207 patients with resectable liver cancer who were admitted to the Air Force General Hospital from May 2005 to June 2010 were retrospectively analyzed.Of all the patients,81 received conventional therapy (conventional therapy group),and the other 126 patients received precise sequential therapy (precise sequential therapy group).The conditions of the patients in perioperative phase,during postoperative sequential treatment and the period of follow-up between the 2 groups were compared.All data were analyzed by using the covariance analysis,analysis of variance,chi-square test or rank sum test.Results The detection rates of lesions with a diameter less than 1 cm,operation time,liver resection volume,intraoperative blood loss,rate of perioperative blood transfusion,duration of postoperative hospital stay,incidences of postoperative complications were 81％ (22/27),( 186 ± 36) minutes,(75 ± 29) ml,( 189 ± 60) ml,24％(30/126),(21 ± 12)days and 13％ (17/126) in the precise sequential therapy group,and 18％ (2/11),(222 ± 30)minutes,(133 ±88)ml,(327 ±46)ml,51％ (41/81),(26 ± 17)days and 20％ (16/81) in the conventional therapy group,respectively,with significant differences between the 2 groups (F =10.876,7.390,46.996,31.025,14.556,6.315,4.017,P ＜ 0.05).No significant difference was observed on the levels of alanine transaminase,albumin and the Child-Pugh score before and after the intervention in the precise sequential therapy group,but significant differences were observed in the conventional therapy group.The 1-,2-,3-year tumor recurrence rates and the 1-,2-,3-year survival rates were 17％ (21/126),22％ (17/76),26％ (8/31) and 87％ (110/126),87％ (66/76),84％ (26/31) in the precise sequential therapy group,and 31％ (25/81),38％ (27/71),48％(31/65 ) and 77％ (62/81),75％ (53/71 ) and 60％ (39/65) in the conventional therapy group,respectively.There were significant differences in the prognosis of the patients in the 2 groups ( x2 =4.958,4.292,4.168,4.062,3.640,5.470,P ＜ 0.05 ).Conclusion Through accurate assessment of the patients' condition before surgery,precise hepatectomy and precise postoperative intervention,the goal of effective control of tumor recurrence,maximum protection of the liver function and improvement of the survival rate can be achieved.