Surgical complications after liver transplantation

AIM: The number of liver transplantations in Italy has steadily increased over the last 10 years as a result of the use of donors aged more than 60 years. The use of organs with a reduced functional reserve has been compensated for by improvements in immunosuppressive therapy, surgical techniques and the management of postoperative complications. This article describes the incidence and treatment of the main surgical complications after liver transplantation. METHODS: Between January 1996 and June 2003, 398 patients received 430 transplants at our Centre. Thirty-seven early relaparotomies were performed (8.6%), including 12 retransplantation (2.8%). The 1-, 3- and 5-year actuarial survival of the patients was 79.8%, 72.2% and 67.5%, and that of the grafts was 75.9%, 68% and 63.4%. Perioperative mortality was 10.5% (with no intraoperative deaths). RESULTS: The overall incidence of biliary complications was 31.6%, 9.1% of which were due to the removal of the Kehr tube. There were 42 (9.8%) anastomotic stenoses, 5 (1.2%) extra-anastomotic stenoses, 1 (0.2%) anastomotic leak, 5 (1.2%) extra-anastomotic leaks, and 19 (4.4%) ischemic-type biliary lesions. The overall incidence of vascular complications was 6.9%: 7 (1.6%) cases of hepatic artery thrombosis, 17 (4.0%) arterial stenoses, 1 (0.2%) arterial pseudoaneurysm, 4 (0.9%) cases of portal thromboses and 1 (0.2%) case of caval laminar thrombosis. Eight patients (1.9%) developed massive and persistent post-transplant ascites and/or hydrothorax. CONCLUSION: The use of donors aged more than 60 years makes it possible to maintain high standards of patient and graft survival that is not only due to the optimisation of immunosuppressive protocols, but also to improvements in surgical techniques, intensive care and the management of surgical complications.     

肝脏移植术后的外科并发症

目的：探讨肝移植术后外科并发症的防治。方法：根据美国匹兹堡大学医疗中心Starzl移植研究所的经验,介绍与外科操作技术有关的术后常见并发症的防治方法,结果与结论：术后腹腔出血,肝动脉血栓形成,门静脉血栓形成,胆,胆道梗阻,胃肠道伐孔,胃肠道出血等是与外科技术操作有关的外科并发症,对肝脏移植术后异常情况的快速诊断和及时处理,是减少外科并发症的发生率和死亡重要措施。     

Surgical complications in children after liver transplantation.

The frequency of surgical complications after liver transplantation remains high. Sixty transplants were done in 48 patients during 4 years. Eleven patients were retransplanted (re-transplant rate, 20%) for primary nonfunction (6), arterial thrombosis (3), warm ischemia (1), and rejection (2). Right pleural effusions were drained in 13 patients and left ones in 2. Forty-eight re-explorations excluding retransplantation were performed in 20 patients. Twelve laparotomies were for control of postoperative intraabdominal bleeding. The majority of these patients (8/10, 80%) were transplanted with reduced-size grafts. Early postoperative vascular complications were detected in 12 grafts (5 portal vein occlusions, 7 arterial thromboses). All 5 patients with portal vein (PV) occlusions were reexplored, and PV flow was reestablished in all 5. Biliary leaks were diagnosed in 6 patients and were associated with arterial thromboses in 2 cases. Reoperation was required in 4 of 6 patients. Bowel perforation occurred in 4 patients; 2 small bowel, 1 duodenum, and 1 colon. There was 1 postoperative bowel obstruction requiring laparotomy. Two splenectomies were required in 4 patients with splenic infarction. Resection of part of a transplanted liver was done in 1 patient to exclude septic infarcts. Pancreatitis was diagnosed in 4 patients and one required laparotomy for control of pancreatic hemorrhage. Intraabdominal abscesses required open drainage in 2 patients and percutaneous drainage in 4. Seven thoracotomies were done in 6 patients: 5 open lung biopsies, 1 for control of hemorrhage, and 1 for diaphragmatic plication. The current high survival rates following liver transplantation require aggressive surgical management of a myriad of complications and numerous procedures are necessary both as treatment modalities and as diagnostic aids.     

Surgical treatment of biliary tract complications after liver transplantation

Objective

Biliary strictures are the most common biliary tract complication after liver transplantation. There are scarce data on the results of hepaticojejunostomy (HJ) in the management of biliary complications after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). Thus, the role of surgery in this setting remains to be established. The aim of this study was to evaluate the results of surgical treatment of patients with biliary complications at our institution.

Patients and Methods

We reviewed 1000 consecutive liver transplantations performed at our institution from 1984 to 2007. We used a prospectively recorded database to identify patients who underwent HJ to treat any biliary tract complication.

Results

Overall, 62 patients (6.2%) underwent HJ, 40 for an anastomotic and 7 for a non-anastomotic stricture as well as 15 for biliary leaks. Postoperative morbidity was 16%, and postoperative mortality 1.6%. There were 7 cases of anastomotic stenosis (11.3%). Four patients (5%) required retransplantation.

Conclusions

HJ is a safe procedure to manage biliary complications after OLT. It may be the first treatment choice especially for cases with anastomotic strictures.     

Surgical complications and outcome of living related liver transplantation

INTRODUCTION: Living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) is now widely performed for patients to resolve the critical shortage of organs from cadavers. Despite rapid implementation and expansion of the procedure, both outcome and complication analyses of LDLT are still incomplete. OBJECTIVES: To analyze the outcome of LDLT, with particular reference to complications of those in need of surgical or radiological intervention. METHODS: Forty-eight LDLTs performed at National Taiwan University Hospital between December 1997 and April 2003 were reviewed retrospectively. RESULTS: Forty-two (87.5%) patients survived the operation. The 1-year graft and patient survival rate was 81.5%. Seventeen of the 48 LDLT patients had at least one postoperative complication, which needed surgical or radiological intervention. The complications included bile leakage (n = 3), biliary stricture (n = 4), internal bleeding (n = 7), intra-abdominal abscess (n = 2), liver abscess (n = 1), hepatic artery thrombosis (n = 2), duodenal ulcer bleeding (n = 1), jejunal perforation (n = 1), adhesion ileus (n = 1), and intracranial hemorrhage (n = 1). Nine of the 17 patients with complications died. In contrast, only 2 of the other 31 patients died. Seven of the mortalities were related to the complications. All survivors received only one definite intervention early after the complications were diagnosed. However, the others received an average of 1.71 +/- 0.95 (0 to 3) interventions. CONCLUSIONS: Complications requiring surgical or radiological treatment caused major mortality of LDLT. Early and definite treatment of these complications is important to improve the patient's outcome.     

Surgical complications and outcome of pediatric liver transplantation in Hong Kong

Purpose: The aim of this study was to analyze the early and late results of pediatric liver transplantation, with particular reference to complications that required surgical or radiologic intervention. Methods: The records and code sheets of children who underwent liver transplantation in the authors' institution between September 1993 and December 2001 were reviewed. Results: Twenty-nine children (16 boys and 13 girls) underwent 31 liver transplantations (23 living donor, 8 cadaveric donor) during the study period. The ages of the children ranged from 4 months to 132 months (median, 16 months). Eighteen children had complications that required surgical or radiologic interventional procedures. Complications included, among others, hepatic vein thrombosis (n = 1, 3%), hepatic vein stenosis (n = 2, 7%), portal vein thrombosis (n = 2, 7%), biliary stricture (n = 3, 10%), bile leakage (n = 2, 7%), hepatic artery pseudoaneurysm (n = 1, 3%), jejuno-jejunostomy leakage (n = 1, 3%), graft hepatitis (n = 1, 3%), and posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorder (n = 2, 7%). In addition, 6 children (21%) suffered from intraabdominal bleeding from a variety of causes. After appropriate interventions, at a median follow-up of 38 months (range, 1 to 96 months), patient and graft survival rates were 79% and 74%, respectively. The retransplantation rate was only 7%. There was no incidence of hepatic artery thrombosis. All living donors remain alive and well. Conclusions: Complications are inevitable in pediatric liver transplantation. However, with timely recognition and active intervention, a good outcome can be achieved.     

Surgical complications in kidney transplantation

Kidney transplantation has become the treatment of choice for patients with end stage renal disease since it offers an excellent quality of life. Moreover, the economic impact is considerable, particularly beyond the first year. Indeed, the annual cost of a successful renal transplantation is ten fold lower than haemodialysis. But surgical complications remain one of our main concerns. Surgical complications are various. They may be non-specific as haematomas, incision-induced hernias and wound infections. They may also be directly related to the procedure as vascular thrombosis and urinary fistula in the early postoperative period or arterial stenosis and ureteral obstruction in the late post-operative period. The accurate diagnosis and the appropriate management of these complications are the most important tasks for the surgical team. This review is based upon our experience in kidney transplantation and upon the medical published data.     

Surgical management of biliary complications following living donor liver transplantation

Khalaf H, Alawi K, Alsuhaibani H, Hegab B, Kamel Y, Azzam A, Albahili H, Alsofayan M, Al Sebayel M. Surgical management of biliary complications following living donor liver transplantation.
Clin Transplant 2011: 25: 504–510. © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Abstract: Background: Biliary complications (BC) account for much of the morbidities seen after living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). Surgical reconstruction might be necessary after the failure of endoscopic or percutaneous procedures. Methods: Between November 2002 and December 2009, a total of 76 LDLTs were performed. Six patients were excluded from statistical analysis because of early graft or patient loss. Results: Of 70, 26 (37.1%) developed BC; 12 (46.2%) were successfully managed by non‐surgical procedures, three (11.5%) died from BC‐related sepsis, one (3.8%) died from BC‐unrelated causes, and 10 (38.5%) underwent surgical reconstruction. Of those 10, four patients had single duct reconstruction, five patients had double ducts reconstruction, and reconstruction was abandoned in one patient because of hepatic artery thrombosis. After a median follow‐up period of 4.5 yr (0.1–6), seven (70%) remained well with no recurrent biliary problems, and three (30%) had recurrent BCs that were managed either conservatively or by retransplantation. Patients who underwent surgical reconstruction had significantly fewer hospital admissions, less need for invasive procedures, and shorter cumulative hospital stay (p < 0.05). Conclusions: In our experience, BCs after LDLT were frequently resistant to non‐surgical procedures. Surgical reconstruction is associated with fewer hospital admissions and less need for invasive procedures leading to reduced resources utilization.     

Surgical complications after kidney transplantation

Kidney transplants have become common surgical procedures, with thousands performed yearly around the world. The surgical techniques for the transplant are well established and the procedure is associated with high success rates. The complication rate associated with the procedure is low, especially when compared to other abdominal organ transplants such as liver and pancreas transplants. Nonetheless, the detection, accurate diagnosis, and timely management of surgical complications occurring after kidney transplant are important tasks of the team managing these patients. A delay in the diagnosis or management of these complications can result in significant morbidity to the recipient, with risk of graft loss and mortality. Most surgical complications involve either the wound or one of the three anastomoses (renal artery, renal vein, or ureter). Examples include wound infection, renal artery or vein thrombosis, and urine leak. Most of these complications will require surgical or radiologic intervention for appropriate management.     

Infectious complications in liver transplantation

Thirty-five patients received 42 liver homografts between February 1984 and August 1985. One or more infections developed in 23 patients (66%) some time after transplantation. An average of 2.5 infections per infected patient occurred. Of 37 bacterial infections, two thirds were either bacteremias or localized intra-abdominal infections. The median onset was 29 days after operation. Thirteen viral infections were identified, with a median onset of 18 days after operation. Nine fungal infections, six disseminated and three localized, were identified, with a median onset of nine days after operation. Infection was the primary cause of death in five (14%) of 35 patients. Fatal infections were evenly distributed among bacterial (two), fungal (three), and viral (two) pathogens. Despite advances in surgical techniques and the use of cyclosporine, infection after orthotopic liver transplantation is a serious problem. Certain patients can be identified as high risks for infection and require an aggressive diagnostic workup followed by early institution of antimicrobial therapy.     

Surgical complications of bone marrow transplantation

BACKGROUND: We wished to determine the type of diseases in patients who received bone marrow transplant (BMT) that potentially involve the general surgeon at our institution. METHODS: The records of 542 patients who underwent bone marrow transplant at Oregon Health and Sciences University between January 1990 and December 2000 were retrospectively reviewed. Gastrointestinal complications included in the study were gastrointestinal bleeding, venoocclusive disease of the liver, intestinal graft versus host disease, pneumatosis intestinalis, necrotizing enteritis, as well as other more common surgical diseases (eg, appendicitis). RESULTS: Gastrointestinal complications or surgical consultations were noted in 92 of 542 patients (17%). Of these, formal general surgical consultation was obtained in 48 patients (9%). The most common causes for surgical consult were cholecystitis (5), abdominal pain of unknown etiology (5), central line complications (5), small bowel obstruction (4), and appendicitis (4). Twenty-eight (58%) of these patients received an operation. Six patients (13%) died during the same hospitalization as their surgery consult. Forty-four patients with these gastrointestinal symptoms related to transplantation did not receive surgical consult. The mortality in this group was 45%. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of gastrointestinal complications after bone marrow transplant do not require surgical intervention. However, these conditions may overlap the more common reasons for surgical consult and must be identifiable by the general surgeon. Of patients who did require surgical intervention, it was primarily for common surgical diseases.     

Surgical wound complications after heart transplantation

Surgical wound complications are more frequent in patients undergoing heart transplantation than in other heart surgery patients. This is probably attributed to the presence of additional risk factors in these patients, such as immunosuppression, mechanical support through assist devices and generally poor health. Analyses of wound infections in heart transplantation are based on smaller patient population than those for general heart surgery, and the reported incidences vary largely. The identification of specific risk factors in heart transplant recipients to date is mainly based on retrospective case–control studies in small patient cohorts, the results are controversial, and the comparability of data is limited because of the lack of application of consistent definitions. The impact of immunosuppression and especially immunosuppression with mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitors on the development of surgical wound complications has been widely discussed following reports of increased occurrence with sirolimus. However, nonheart‐transplant specific risk factors should also be considered to develop risk profiles and treatment algorithms for individual patients. Data on surgical wound complications in general heart surgery patients and in heart transplant recipients are compared, the impact of modern immunosuppression reviewed, and areas for further investigation discussed.     

Living donor transplantation. Surgical complications

Although nephrectomy by open surgery is the most used technique for the extraction of kidney transplants in the living donor, nephrectomy under laparaoscopy is increasingly practiced. Laparoscopic nephrectomy is less invasive and performed under videoscopy control, after insufflation of the peritoneal cavity. Three to four incisions are done in order to enter the surgical instruments. The kidney is extracted through a horizontal sus-pubic incision. The exposition is either exclusively transperitoneal, retroperitoneal or hand assisted. The advantages of laparoscopy are esthetical, financial due to a shorter hospitalisation and a quicker recovery, as well a confort for the donor. The disadvantages are a longer warm ischemia time and possibly a higher risk of delayed graft function. Randomised studies having compared laparoscopy and open surgery in the living donor have not find any significant difference regarding the per- and perioperative in the complications.     

Surgical complications in kidney transplantation in nonhuman primates

Surgical complications are important causes of graft loss in the nonhuman primate kidney transplantation model. We reviewed the incidence and intervention methods in 182 kidney transplantations performed in our lab recently 2 years in Cynomolgus monkeys. There were six renal artery thromboses (3.3%), eight urine leakages (4.4%), and five ureteral stenoses (2.7%). All renal artery thrombosis cases were found within 3 days after surgery. Urine leakage appeared from the 5th to 12th day after surgery and all cases were caused by ureter rupture. Reexploration was performed in five cases to reanastomose ureter with stent. Four cases reached long‐term survival. The rest one died of graft rejection. Ureteral stenoses were found in long‐term survival cases. Ureter reanastomoses with stent were performed in two cases. The postoperative renal functions of these two monkeys recovered to normal and they survived until study termination. From this large number of study, our experience indicated that kidney transplantation in the nonhuman primate is a safe procedure with low complications. Reexploration is recommended for salvage of the graft with urine leakage and ureteral stenosis. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc. Microsurgery, 2010.