Effects of exogenous prostaglandin E1 in hepatectomized patients

The efficacy of prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) in preventing hepatic failure after hepatectomy was investigated prospectively in eight PGE1-treated patients and in seven untreated controls. The patients in the PGE1-treated group received PGE1 (0.03 μg/kg per min) intravenously for 72 h beginning at the initiation of surgery. The cardiac index increased markedly and the systemic vascular resistance decreased markedly during PGE1 treatment, while no significant changes were observed in the control group. The platelet count in the PGE1-treated group decreased slightly, while that in the control group decreased significantly during the first 3 postoperative days. The percent change of alanine aminotranferase in the PGE1-treated group was less than that in the control group. These findings suggest that the administration of exogenous PGE1 following hepatectomy increases hepatic blood flow and suppresses platelet aggregation, and therefore may be cytoprotective to the remnant liver. Thus, PGE1 may be effective in preventing hepatic failure after hepatectomy.