BACKGROUND: Liver surgery, especially for cirrhotic patients, is one of the last areas of resistance to progress in laparoscopic surgery. This study compares the postoperative results and the 2-year patient outcomes between laparoscopic and open resection for hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with histologically proven cirrhosis. METHODS: From May 2000 to ...

OBJECTIVE: We hypothesised that a formal treatment protocol for liver injuries including angiography would increase the non-operative management (NOM) rate and would be efficient as an adjunct to damage control surgery. METHODS: During the 4-year period from 1 August 2000, a total of 138 adult patients with liver injuries were ...

AIM: To investigate differences in the effects of biliary drainage procedures in patients with inoperable Klatskin's tumor based on Bismuth type, considering endoscopic retrograde biliary drainage (ERBD), external percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (EPTBD) and internal biliary stenting via the PTBD tract (IPTBD). METHODS: The initial success rate, cumulative patency rate, ...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Bariatric surgery is the most effective treatment for morbid obesity. The classic procedure, jejunoileal bypass, has many complications including rapid progress of liver disease. The senior author (I.F.) has developed a modification of jejunoileal bypass, which we believe overcomes many of the shortcomings of the classic procedure. ...

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this report was to present our experience with a modified surgical technique designed for the treatment of choledochal cysts (CC) in children. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between June 2004 and February 2005, we operated on 6 patients with a diagnosis of type I CC by means of ...

BACKGROUND: The future remnant liver (FRL) limit for safe major hepatectomy with low risk of postoperative liver failure has not yet been well defined. METHODS: Between April 2000 and September 2004, every patient scheduled for major hepatectomy in our institution underwent CT-volumetry of FRL. Patients with FRL <25% underwent portal ...

A pilot study of a 48-week course of pioglitazone demonstrated significant improvements in the biochemical and histological features of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). The aim of the study was to assess the effects of stopping pioglitazone. Twenty-one patients with NASH were treated with pioglitazone (30 mg/day) for 48 weeks and underwent ...

AIM: To review 11 patients with parasitic cysts of the liver, who were treated by hepatic lobectomy using the liver hanging maneuver (LHM). METHODS: Between January 2003 and June 2006, we retrospectively analyzed patients who underwent surgical treatment due to parasitic cysts of the liver, at the Ege University School ...

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The afferent events in acute obstructive jaundice (AOJ) are characterized by endotoxemia-induced decrease in systemic vascular resistance and bile salt mediated natriuresis and diuresis leading to diminished effective plasma volume. METHODOLOGY: A prospective protocol aimed at preventing those alterations was carried out in 104 consecutive patients with AOJ. The ...

AIM: To assess the indications and results of endoscopic retrograde cholangio-pancreatography (ERCP) in patients who have undergone ortotopic liver transplantation (OLT). METHODS: We reviewed data from 42 consecutive patients who underwent ERCP for biliary complications after OLT over an 8-year period, in particular recording indications and success of the treatment ...

Although hyperlactemia is known to accompany hepatic failure and metabolic acidosis, few reports examined the relationships between lactate concentrations and outcome after liver resection. We examined the ability of arterial plasma lactate concentration to predict the patient outcome after hepatectomy. The relationships of arterial lactate and base excess (BE) measured ...

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Routine use of abdominal drainage after liver resection is controversial. The aim of this study was to investigate the practical application of a "no abdominal drainage" policy for consecutive patients undergoing hepatic resection. METHODOLOGY: The present trial included 60 consecutive patients who underwent elective hepatic resection. Fifty-two patients underwent ...

AIM: To estimate the prognosis of patients with liver failure using a scoring model of severe viral hepatitis (SMSVH) and a model of end stage liver disease (MELD) to provide a scientific basis for clinical decision of treatment. METHODS: One hundred and twenty patients with liver failure due to severe ...

BACKGROUND/AIMS: With recognition of its benefits, there has been a trend towards minimizing blood loss during hepatic parenchymal transection but no one technique has been shown to be superior to another. We analyzed our experience with using a novel combined technique of saline-linked radiofrequency precoagulation and ultrasonic aspiration for hepatic ...

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Kasai portoenterostomy (KP) is regarded as first-line treatment for biliary atresia, although its postoperative course is often unpredictable. Hepatobiliary scintigraphy using technetium-labeled iminodiacetic acid derivatives offers a dynamic, objective assessment both of parenchymal liver function and restored biliary excretion. The value of postoperative radionuclide scans was assessed prospectively in ...

BACKGROUND: Benign biliary strictures are usually treated surgically or endoscopically. When these strictures are not accessible by endoscope or when open repair is not possible, percutaneous dilatation treatment is indicated. The efficacy of treatment is usually evaluated by clinical trial which includes leaving a small non-functional catheter in situ and ...

It is now 16 years since the endovascular treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) was first described. It is probably true to say that, with current device technology, > 50% of all patients with an infrarenal aneurysm can be treated with an endograft. Endografting has become an important tool in the ...

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Cholangiocarcinoma represents a serious complication of primary sclerosing cholangitis. Ursodeoxycholic acid may possibly influence the incidence of cholangiocarcinoma in man. The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence rate of cholangiocarcinoma in a large group of primary sclerosing cholangitis patients after long-time treatment with ursodeoxycholic acid. PATIENTS ...

Moderate to severe portopulmonary hypertension (PPHTN) increases the risks of orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). Epoprostenol is an effective treatment of PPHTN, but long-term effects on pulmonary hemodynamics or liver function in PPHTN are poorly defined. We sought to describe the long-term effects of treatment with or without epoprostenol on pulmonary ...

BACKGROUND: Posttransplant combined lamivudine (LAM) and immunoglobulin (HBIg) prophylaxis is the gold standard in the case of single hepatitis B virus (HBV), but is still not recommended in the case of patients coinfected with hepatitis delta virus (HDV). METHODS: We compared two consecutive groups of chronic HDV carriers who survived ...

BACKGROUND: Many techniques and devices are available for performing liver resection, such as clamp crushing, Cavitron Ultrasonic Surgical Aspirator (CUSA), Hydrojet and dissecting sealer, ultrasonic shears, and, more recently, electrothermal bipolar vessel sealing system (EBVS). In this prospective trial we sought to evaluate the impact of EBVS on hepatic resections. ...

The aim of this work was to study the benefit of supplementation with a branched chain amino acids enriched nutrient mixture on the physical and mental condition following hepatic surgery in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). A total of 41 patients with HCC who underwent hepatic surgery (36 hepatic resection ...

Preoperative management in cirrhotic patients is extremely important to the liver surgeon in terms of preventing postoperative organ failure and infection. In this study we investigated the effects of OK432,a streptococcal preparation that is a wellknown immunopotentiator for macrophages, in modulating the liver function of patients (9 patients) with hepatocellular ...

To ascertain whether postoperative antiplatelet therapy could reduce the incidence of hepatic artery thrombosis (HAT) after liver transplantation (LT), 838 consecutive adult whole-graft LTs performed from April 1986 to August 2005 that survived beyond the first postoperative month were reviewed. Antiplatelet prophylaxis with aspirin (100 mg per day) was given ...

Immediate postoperative extubation may reduce the incidence of postoperative respiratory complications after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). We evaluated the predictors of immediate tracheal extubation in the operating room (OR) in our patients by retrospectively reviewing data from all patients who underwent OLT between January 2004 and June 2006. The patients ...

Aim: To evaluate the safety of remnant liver in cirrhotic patients who had undergone irregular hepatectomy with continuous normothermic hemihepatic vascular inflow occlusion for over 60 min. Methods: A group of 133 cirrhotic patients who had hepatitis B virus accompanied by hepatocellular carcinoma and had undergone irregular hepatectomy by hemihepatic ...

A 2-year-old female neutered Somali cat was presented with vomiting and acute onset jaundice 1 year after diagnosis of pyruvate kinase (PK) deficiency. Diagnostic investigations revealed a moderate regenerative haemolytic anaemia, severe hyperbilirubinaemia and elevated liver enzymes. Ultrasonography revealed marked distension of the gall bladder and common bile duct (CBD), ...

INTRODUCTION: The effect of laparoscopic surgery under CO2 pneumoperitoneum on liver function is not clear. The aim of this study was to clarify whether laparoscopy-assisted distal gastrectomy (LADG) is associated with changes in liver function compared with open distal gastrectomy (ODG). METHODS: A total of 205 patients who underwent LADG ...

BACKGROUND: Results from a pilot investigation with tacrolimus for primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) demonstrated biochemical improvement without excessive drug toxicity. To date, no confirmatory study has been performed. AIMS: We sought to determine the safety and efficacy of tacrolimus in PSC. METHODS: An open-label, phase II study of tacrolimus 0.05 ...

AIM: To study the effect of adenovirus (Ad)-p53 gene therapy on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in a rabbit model. METHODS: VX2 tumor was grown in the liver of 24 rabbits. Animals were divided into four groups: group A receiving trans-arterial gene therapy (Ad-p53) only, group B receiving combined Ad-p53 therapy and ...

INTRODUCTION: Selective internal radiation therapy (SIRT) is emerging as a new therapeutic modality in recent years for management of non-resectable hepatic malignancies. Our experience in clinical application of this treatment is reported here. MATERIAL AND METHODS: From June 2004, patients whose liver tumours were no longer amenable for any conventional ...

Our aim was to evaluate effects of metformin, rosiglitazone, and diet with exercise in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Forty-seven patients (mean age, 44+/-10 years; 17 female) whose ALT levels had been high for at least 6 months and with hepatosteatosis detected by liver biopsy and/or USG were enrolled in this ...

AIMS: Surgical radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of hepatic malignancies is associated with superior oncological outcome as compared to percutaneous RFA. The aim of this prospective non-randomized cohort study was to compare morbidity and mortality of laparoscopic (LRFA) vs. open (ORFA) radiofrequency ablation of liver cancer. METHODS: Between October 1999 and November ...

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy, amount of hemorrhage, biliary leakage, complications, and postoperative evolution after fibrin glue sealant application in patients undergoing liver resection. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: Fibrin sealants have become popular as a means of improving perioperative hemostasis and reducing biliary leakage after liver surgery. However, trials regarding its ...

BACKGROUND: Bacterial infections in infants constitute a risk factor for parenteral nutrition (PN)-related cholestasis. The possible role of infections in the development of liver fibrosis, the most severe long-term complication, has yet to be documented. This study retrospectively compares the incidence of sepsis in children with and without severe liver ...

BACKGROUND: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has been increasingly recognized as a common chronic liver condition. Previous studies have been variable regarding the histological outcomes after rapid weight loss. The aim of this study was to characterize the histopathologic changes in NASH following laparoscopic Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass surgery (LRYGBP). METHODS: ...

The aim of this study was to investigate the advantages of laparoscopic hepatectomy over open surgery for liver tumors. A retrospective study was performed of 10 patients with liver tumors (9 with hepatocellular carcinoma and 1 with focal nodular hyperplasia) at our hospital. Five patients who had received laparoscopic hepatectomy ...

BACKGROUND: Despite the progression of therapeutic approaches, a high frequency of recurrence is what determines the long-term prognosis of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In this study, the chemopreventive effects of vitamin K2 on the recurrence and survival of patients with HCC after curative therapy were evaluated. METHODS: Sixty patients ...

OBJECTIVE: To study the prevalence and predisposing factors of liver involvement in sickle cell disease (SCD) of patients with acute vaso-occlusive crisis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We prospectively evaluated 41 consecutive patients (44% M, median age 39 years, range 16-56 years) with homozygous (HbSS; 12 cases) or sickle cell-beta thalassemia (HbSbeta-thal; ...

The aim of this study was to explore stem cell use in congenital anomalies. During July 2005 through July 2006, autologous stem cells were used in 29 patients: 12 with liver cirrhosis and 17 with meningomyelocele. Stem cells were injected into the hepatic artery and the portal vein or into ...

PURPOSE: To evaluate long-term results of treatment of benign bile duct strictures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From February 1994 to November 2005, 21 patients (9 men, 12 women) with median age of 50.6 years (range 27-77 years) were indicated to percutaneous treatment of benign bile duct stricture. Stricture of hepatic ducts ...

T-cell depletion is an essential aspect of clinical immunosuppression. The aim of the present study was to compare the efficacy of two dosage regimens in this setting. We retrospectively compared 246 patients (group 1) who received a 10-day antithymocyte globulin (ATG) induction protocol with 226 patients (group 2) who received ...

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Folate deficiency disturbs hepatic methionine metabolism and promotes the development of steatohepatitis in animal models. Our aims were (1) to determine the safety and efficacy of folic acid treatment in patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) on changes in liver biochemistries, and (2) to investigate the presence of subclinical folate ...

AIM: The evaluation of the efficacy of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), pentoxifylline, losartan, and atorvastatin in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) treatment. METHOD: 48 patients (25 males/23 females, aged 55 +/- 7.54 years) with histologically confirmed NASH were enrolled between 2001 and 2005. The batch was divided into four groups: A (10 dyslipidemic ...

Interferon-gamma1b (IFN-gamma1b) is a pleiotropic cytokine that displays antifibrotic, antiviral, and antiproliferative activity. A total of 502 patients with compensated liver disease and an Ishak fibrosis score of 4-6 were randomized in a double-blind, placebo-controlled study, and 488 of these patients received subcutaneous injections of IFN-gamma1b 100 microg (group 1, ...

This retrospective study was designed to examine morbidity and mortality rates and to find predictors of outcome in patients with liver cirrhosis (LC) undergoing open-heart surgery. Between May 1996 and June 2005, 24 patients with LC underwent an open-heart surgery in our institution. There were 14 females and 10 males. ...

BACKGROUND: To establish a reliable definition of postoperative hepatic insufficiency (PHI) in noncirrhotic patients undergoing major hepatectomy. No standard definition of PHI has been established, but one is essential for meaningful comparison of outcomes data across studies. METHODS: Data from 1,059 noncirrhotic patients who underwent major hepatectomy (3 or more ...

AIM: To examine the clinical characteristics of a subgroup of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and compare them to those with known risk factors. METHODS: We used the HCC database of 306 patients seen at our institution from January 1, 1995 to December 31, 2001. Of the 306 patients, 63 ...

BACKGROUND: Liver transplantation has evolved as a successful treatment for patients with end-stage liver cirrhosis and acute liver failure. Postoperative survival rates have increased to 90% in 1 year and 80% in 5 years as a result of improvements in immunosuppression, perioperative management and surgical techniques. However, a wide range ...

Recurrent hepatitis C after liver transplantation (LT) is a major problem, since up to 30% of patients develop cirrhosis only 5 years after LT in the absence of antiviral therapy. The aim of this study was to examine the rate of progression of fibrosis and its associated risk factors in ...