Management of surgical problems in patients on methadone maintenance.

One hundred patients on methadone maintenance admitted to our surgical service were analyzed. The average duration of prior narcotics abuse was ten years and was followed by an average of 2.2 years of methadone maintenance treatment. Sixty-three patients were admitted on an emergency basis, half of these for trauma. Sixty-two patients underwent operative procedures. There were four deaths, none directly related to methadone use. Five patients were admitted for intestinal obstruction secondary to methadone ingestion. This disease entity results from fecal impaction which is induced by methadone's spastic effect on the gastrointestinal tract. Evidence of chronic liver disease was present in half the patients. The associated medical illnesses presented no problems with anesthesia. WHILE METHADONE MAINTENANCE WAS CONTINUED IN THE ACCUSTOMED DOSAGE, POSTOPERATIVE ANALGESIA WAS ACCOMPLISHED SATISFACTORILY WITH 5O TO 100 MG DOSES OF MEPERIDINE AT 3 HOUR INTERVALS, AS REQUIRED.     

肝移植治疗胆管细胞癌的疗效评价

目的 评价原位肝移植治疗胆管细胞癌的疗效,并分析影响预后的因素.方法 回顾性分析上海长征医院2001年12月至2006年12月问接受OLT的234例肝癌患者的临床资料,其中胆管细胞癌(cholangiocarcinoma,CC)患者6例,包括肝内胆管癌4例,肝门部胆管癌2例.结果 6例患者随访1～56个月,死亡5例(肿瘤复发2例,严重并发症3例).患者的0.5、1和2年累积存活率分别为4/6,3/6和1/6,无瘤存活率分别为3/6,2/6和1/6,患者的平均及无瘤生存时间均为(14±4)个月.结论 胆管细胞癌肝移植患者预后较差,须谨慎对待.     

肝癌肝移植的适应证及疗效评价

原发性肝癌是我国最常见的恶性肿瘤之一。目前,对肿瘤病灶施行切除仍然是治疗原发性肝癌的主要手段。但是有相当一部分原发性肝癌患者伴有严重的肝硬化,肝功能较差,不适合手术切除。经过多年的发展,肝移植手术成为治疗原发性肝癌的另一选择。由于缺乏合适的纳入标准,早期的肝移植治疗原发性肝癌效果不佳,5年生存率仅18％-20％,而且术后肿瘤复发的比例较高。如何选择合适的肝癌患者,使用有限的供体资源达到最佳的术后效果,成为肝移植领域研究和讨论的热点。     

Liver transplantation for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

BACKGROUND: Liver transplantation (LT) has been advocated as a salvage treatment for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Selection criteria still need to be developed in Taiwan. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of our study was to assess the clinical findings and outcome of cirrhotic patients with HCC undergoing liver transplantation. METHODS: Our study consisted of 13 HCC patients who underwent liver transplantation during October 1996 to March 2003. The medical records and pathologic reports were analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS: Overall survival rates at 1 and 3 years were 86% and 61%, respectively. HCC recurrences occurred in three patients, one of whom is still alive with HCC recurrence 2 years after LT. The other two patients died of HCC recurrence 1 and 2 years after LT, respectively. Pretransplant alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels of >200 ng/mL were noted in all three patients with HCC recurrence. In contrast, only one of the ten patients without HCC recurrence had pretransplant AFP >200 ng/mL (P = .003). Four patients did not meet Milan criteria, two of whom had HCC recurrence. However, the other two patients with microscopic vascular invasion survived and were free of HCC. The only one patient, who had histologic grade 4 HCC, died of recurrence, although his tumor was AJCC stage 1. CONCLUSIONS: High AFP level is a risk factor for HCC recurrence after LT. In addition to Milan criteria, histologic tumor grading should be considered in patient selection. Microscopic vascular invasion may not affect the outcome of the patients with early HCC.     

Liver transplantation in HIV-positive patients

Abstract:  Death from end-stage liver disease (ESLD) because of chronic hepatitis B and C has become an increasing problem in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients in the last years. This is mainly because of the dramatic decrease of HIV-related morbidity and mortality since the introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). Although the data on the outcome of liver transplantation in HIV-infected recipients with ESLD is limited, overall results seem comparable to non-HIV-infected recipients. Therefore, liver transplant centres around the world are increasingly accepting HIV-infected individuals as organ recipients. Post-transplantation control of HIV replication is achieved by continuing HAART. As in non-HIV-infected patients, hepatitis B virus recurrence is efficiently prevented by hepatitis B immunoglobulin and antiviral therapy. Re-infection of the allograft with hepatitis C virus, however, remains an important problem, and progress to allograft cirrhosis may even be more rapid than in HIV-negative patients. Interactions in drug metabolism between the HAART components and the immunosuppressive drugs are difficult to predict and require close monitoring of drug levels and dose adjustments. The complexity in this setting makes close cooperation between transplant surgeons, hepatologists, HIV-clinicians and pharmacologists mandatory. As experience on liver transplantation in HIV-infected individuals is still limited, to date results from large prospective trials addressing key issues are needed.     

Liver transplantation in HIV-positive patients

AIMS: The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of liver transplantation (OLT) in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis C virus (HCV) coinfected patients in Italy. METHODS: Between September 2002 and April 2006, 12 HIV(+) coinfected patients (11 men, mean age 42 years) underwent OLT at our Institute. Eleven (91%) patients were HCV-positive and one was hepatitis B virus-positive. Pre-OLT plasma HIV 1-RNA level was undetectable and CD4(+) T-cell count >200 cells/microL for 3 months in all patients. Six patients had to stop highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) before OLT because of liver disease severity (n = 2) and for hepato cellular carcinoma (n = 4). RESULTS: The actuarial 1-, 2-, and 3-year survival rates were 83.3%, 58.3%, and 58.3%, respectively, which were significantly lower than those observed among HIV-negative patients transplanted in our center. Six patients are alive with a mean follow-up of 26 months (range: 5 to 46 months). We recorded a low rate of opportunistic infections and rejection. All alive patients have low levels of HIV RNA, and the CD4(+) T-cell counts increased after OLT. Nine patients developed early recurrence of hepatitis C requiring combination therapy with peg-interferon plus ribavirin. Significant improvement in the quality of life was observed in 7/11 patients. CONCLUSIONS: OLT in HIV-positive patients was feasible with good results in the short and medium term. Early severe HCV recurrence may be observed. Key challenges for the management of HIV(+) patients after transplantation included treatment of severe HCV recurrence and attention to the pharmacological interactions of HAART with immunosuppressive drugs.     

Liver transplantation in alcoholic patients

Alcoholic liver disease is one of the most common causes of cirrhosis and indications for orthotopic liver transplantation in Europe and North America. The reluctance to transplant alcoholics stems in part from the view that alcoholics bear responsibility for their illness. There is also the perception that the alcoholic person is likely to relapse into alcohol use after transplantation and thereby damage the allograft. In this review, we considered the evaluation for and outcome of liver transplantation in alcoholics with special attention to the specific risks of alcohol relapse, to show that alcoholism should be considered like other co-morbid states rather than as a moral flaw.     

武汉市美沙酮维持治疗者基本情况调查分析

目的了解武汉市美沙酮维持治疗者的人口及行为特征,为采取护理干预措施提供依据。方法随机抽取507例自愿参与本研究接受美沙酮维持治疗的患者,采用国家统一设计的社区药物维持治疗评估基线调查表进行调查。结果 507例患者中,以男性(81.07%)、青壮年(79.29%)、初中及以下(76.13%)为主;注射吸毒463例(91.32%),共用注射器196例(38.66%);毒资每天50～600(283.34±174.76)元,其中向家庭亲朋索要267例(52.66%);379例(74.55%)有过性行为,253例(66.76%)从来不用安全套,每次均使用安全套11例(2.90%);HCV阳性475例(93.69%),HIV/AIDS阳性3例(0.59%);被公安部门拘捕过82例(16.17%);过去3个月因吸毒而有偷、抢、骗等行为186例(36.69%);为了毒品发生性行为76例(14.99%);吸毒者中无业或待业400例(78.90%),有333例(65.68%)无经济收入,228例(44.97%)与家人居住,212例(41.81%)自我感觉与家人关系较差。结论美沙酮维持治疗者为艾滋病及其他传染病的高危人群;有关部门应采取有效干预措施,减少由于药物滥用带来的公共卫生和社会问题。     

肝脏移植对23例肝细胞性肝癌的治疗价值研究

目的进一步探讨肝细胞性肝癌肝移植治疗的疗效 ,评价其应用价值。方法对 1999年 2月～ 2 0 0 2年 3月连续实施的 95例肝移植中的 2 3例肝细胞肝癌患者进行随访和回顾性分析 ,探讨肝细胞性肝癌临床病理学因素对肝移植术后生存率和肝癌复发的影响。结果本组肝细胞性肝癌总的复发率为 6 5 % (15 /2 3) ,6个月、12个月的无癌生存率分别为 75 %、5 8%。多元分析表明 ,肝细胞性肝癌的直径与它的复发率有相关性 (P =0 0 2 4 ) ,而其他的临床病理学因素未显示有统计学意义(Wald =5 113,P =0 0 2 4 )。而年龄、性别、癌灶数目、门静脉癌栓形成、TNM分期、术前AFP水平、术前治疗、合并肝硬化等病理学因素则在统计学上未显示有显著意义 (P >0 0 5 )。结论大肝癌是肝移植的相对禁忌证 ,而小肝癌是肝移植的良好适应证     

Liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma in cirrhotic patients

A consecutive series of 88 patients underwent transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma with cirrhosis over a 7-year period. Liver transplantation was indicated because of the tumor in 75 cases (85.2%); tumor was an incidental finding in 13 cases (14.8%). One patient was retransplanted due to primary nonfunction. The perioperative mortality was 4.5%. Tumor recurrence was observed in seven patients (7.95%) with incidental tumor recurrence in one case. As in patients with known primary liver tumors pretransplant, a thorough follow-up is advisable to establish an early diagnosis of recurrence. The actuarial survival for nonincidental hepatocellular carcinoma at 1, 3, and 5 year was 92%, 77%, and 75%, respectively. The differences in actuarial survival between hepatitis C negative and positive hepatocellular carcinoma were not significant (log-rank test P=.27), though there was a clear improvement in results (94%, 85%, and 78% vs 90%, 71%, and 71%), at 1, 3, and 5 years meaning that HCV infection is an important prognostic factor. Although transplantation for HCC has the advantages of removing the tumor and the cirrhotic liver, it remains a controversial topic. In our experience patients showing lesions less than 5 cm or three or fewer lesions experience an equivalent survival to transplanted patients who do not have cancer.     

Liver transplantation for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis in young patients

Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is the hepatic manifestation of obesity and insulin resistance. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of NASH as an indication for liver transplantation (LT) in children and young adults and to characterize patient and graft survival. The study included all children and young adult patients (up to the age of 40 years) who underwent LT in the United States for NASH cirrhosis from the 1987 to 2012 United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) database. Kaplan–Meier analysis was used to assess patient and graft survival. A total of 330 patients were included, 68% were Caucasian, and the mean BMI was 33.6 ± 6.3. Age at time of LT ranged between 4 and 40 years (mean 33.9 ± 6.6 years). Fourteen subjects were <18 years of age at time of LT and 20 were between the ages of 18 and 25 years. Median follow‐up after 1st LT was 45.8 months [10.7, 97.3]. During this time, 30% of subjects (n = 100) died and 11.5% (n = 38) were retransplanted including 13 for NASH recurrence. In conclusion, NASH can progress to end‐stage liver disease requiring LT in childhood and early adulthood. A significant number of young patients transplanted for NASH cirrhosis required retransplantation.     

Liver transplantation for cholangiocarcinoma: results in 207 patients

BACKGROUND: Because of the high incidence of recurrent tumor, many surgeons have become disenchanted with transplantation as a treatment for cholangiocarcinoma. METHODS: The Cincinnati Transplant Tumor Registry database was used to examine 207 patients who underwent liver transplantation for otherwise unresectable cholangiocarcinoma or cholangiohepatoma. Specific factors evaluated included tumor size, presence of multiple nodules, evidence of tumor spread at surgery, and treatment with adjuvant chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy. Incidentally found tumors were compared to tumors that were known or suspected to be present before transplantation. RESULTS: The 1, 2, and 5-year survival estimates using life table analysis were 72, 48, and 23%. Fifty-one percent of patients had recurrence of their tumors after transplantation and 84% of recurrences occurred within 2 years of transplantation. Survival after recurrence was rarely more than 1 year. Forty-seven percent of recurrences occurred in the allograft and 30% in the lungs. Tumor recurrence, and evidence of tumor spread at the time of surgery, were negative prognostic variables. There were no positive prognostic variables. Patients with incidentally found cholangiocarcinomas did not have improved survival over patients with known or suspected tumors. A small number of patients survived for more than 5 years without recurrence. However, this group had no variable in common that would aid in the selection of similar patients in the future. CONCLUSIONS: Because of the high rate of recurrent tumor and lack of positive prognostic variables, transplantation should seldom be used as a treatment for cholangiocarcinoma. For transplantation to be a viable treatment in the future, more effective adjuvant therapies are necessary.     

肝移植治疗乙肝相关疾病

目的 总结原位肝移植（OLT）治疗乙肝相关疾病的疗效,并评价了拉米夫定对肝移植术后乙肝复发的防治作用。方法 自1993年4月-2000年12月,中山医科大学器官移植中心为54例乙肝相关疾病患者实施了肝移植,其中乙肝坏死后肝硬化17例,为第1组,25例同时合并肝癌者为第2组、其余12例暴发性肝功能衰竭患者为3组。回顾性地分析了3组患者术后存活率、早期死亡原因以及拉米夫定对术后乙肝复发的防治情况。结果 乙肝相关疾病患者肝移植术后早期存活率为75.9%,暴发性肝衰组患者术后早期并发症发生率明显高于其它2组;OLT对小肝癌患者的疗效明显优于大肝癌患者;拉米夫定防治乙肝复发辣效好且未发现副作用。结论 结合拉米夫定,OLT是治疗暴发性乙肝、乙肝肝硬化及小肝癌甚或某些选择性大肝癌患者的有效手段。     

Liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma in cirrhotic patients.

BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with cirrhosis, due to a limited liver reserve, is often deemed unresectable, even at an early stage. METHODS: In order to evaluate the ongoing transplant programme for cirrhotic patients with HCC at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, the results of liver transplantation (LTx) for HCC were analysed and the patient actuarial survival was compared with that of those LTx patients without malignancy. RESULTS: A total of 441 LTx were performed in 404 patients between January 1986 and April 1998. Twenty-four LTx recipients (22 men; two women) of mean age 49 (15-62) years had HCC. Twenty-one had underlying aetiology for their cirrhosis (hepatitis B: n = 9; hepatitis C: n = 8; hepatitis B and C: n = 1; haemochromatosis: n = 1; autoimmune hepatitis: n = 1; alcoholism: n = 1), while three patients had cryptogenic cirrhosis. Six patients had incidental tumours and another two cases were of the fibrolamellar type. The average tumour size and tumour number were 2.9 (0.4-11.5) cm and 1.3 (1-4), respectively. Operative mortality was 4.2% (1/24). The HCC recurrence appeared in one (4.2%) patient (with a 11.5-cm HCC) who died 18 months after LTx. A further two patients died (one graft failure from recurrent hepatitis C and one from fungal sepsis) during follow-up. The overall 1- and 3-year actuarial patient survival rates were 87% and 76%, respectively, and that of patients with benign causes (n = 369) were 77% and 72% (P = NS). CONCLUSION: With careful patient selection, long-term tumour-free patient survival can be achieved. The results support an active transplant programme for selected HCC.     

Liver transplantation for hepatocarcinoma

A total of 592 patients underwent orthotopic liver transplantation in the Cambridge/King's College Hospital series (January 1980 to May 1991). A total of 89 (15%) patients had either primary or secondary hepatobiliary malignancies. Of these, 66 were hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and 13 were cholangiocarcinoma. Of the HCC, 21 were cirrhotics and 45 were noncirrhotics. Eleven patients (12.6%) out of the total 89 died within 1 month without any evidence of recurrent tumor. The most common cause of death was due to postoperative hemorrhage. Of the patients with HCC, 21 (37.5%) had a recurrence of the original tumor and died of the malignancy from 2 months to 5 years after operation. At the time of writing, 18 patients are still alive and the overall 5-year survival rate was 18.6%. The 5-year survival recurrence in patients with HCC was 37.7% in cirrhotic livers. Some patients have been cured of primary malignancy of the liver. Our longest survivor has now survived for 17 years since undergoing transplantation. In 13 patients with cholangiocarcinoma, 6 (46.2%) died due to tumor recurrence and the 5-year survival rate was 23.8%. The indications for liver transplantation are therefore now rapidly expanding. Although the rate of recurrence is high and a long-term cure is rare, HCC remains an appropriate indication for liver transplantation.This report is the gist of a paper read by R.C. at the 91st Annual Meeting of the Japanese Surgical Society, Kyoto, Japan, 1991     

Liver transplantation for hepatolithiasis

Hepatolithiasis is frequently encountered in Asia, but is relatively uncommon in Western societies. The improved surgical and stone fragmentation techniques that have evolved over the past decade have reduced the incidence of retained or recurrent stones with a consequent reduction in progressive liver damage and cirrhosis. Nonetheless, disease-related mortality from liver failure, bleeding oesophageal varices and cholangiocarcinoma still exists and a proportion of patients are cirrhotic at their initial presentation. There have been good long-term results following liver transplantation for a variety of cholestatic liver diseases, but transplantation for hepatolithiasis has seldom been reported. This paper reports four patients who underwent successful liver transplantation for hepatolithiasis with secondary biliary cirrhosis.     

Liver transplantation for cholangiocarcinoma

Liver transplantation following high dose neoadjuvant radiotherapy with chemosensitization achieves excellent results for patients with early stage, unresectable hilar cholangiocarcinoma or cholangiocarcinoma arising in the setting of primary sclerosing cholangitis.     

Liver transplantation in patients with Budd-Chiari syndrome

Patients with Budd-Chiari syndrome (obstruction of the hepatic veins) and associated hepatic insufficiency may be candidates for orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). In our series of 405 OLT patients, 3 were transplanted due to Budd-Chiari syndrome (0.7%). The indication for liver transplantation in these patients was severe hepatic insufficiency (chronic in two and acute in the third one). Morphologic study of the obstructions revealed apparently different causes, including thrombi, membranous webs in hepatic veins, and hydatid cyst compression. The surgical technique employed in these transplantations was similar to that for other etiologies. Due to its implications for the future course of OLT, it is important to determine the exact etiology of Budd-Chiari syndrome in the pretransplant period and to treat the patients with early and long-term anticoagulant therapy to avoid syndrome recurrence.     

Liver transplantation in patients with situs inversus

Situs inversus has been considered an absolute contraindication to liver transplantation due to technical difficulties. Associated vascular malformation and distorted anatomy may make the procedure even more complicated or impossible. Only three cases of patients with abdominal situs inversus who underwent successful liver transplantation have been reported in the English literature. We describe two additional patients with situs inversus who suffered from biliary atresia and underwent successful liver transplantation. The preoperative evaluation and the operative procedure are presented, and technical difficulties are discussed. Since biliary atresia is associated with polysplenia syndrome, including vascular malformation and visceral malposition, we suggest that each case be extensively evaluated preoperatively to determine the size requirement for the donor liver and the feasibility of reconstruction.