Stepwise management of hepatocellular carcinoma associated with Abernethy syndrome

Benign to Malignant Hepatic Lesion Transformation in Abernethy Malformation

Abernethy malformation or congenital extrahepatic portosystemic shunt is an extremely rare condition whereby the portomesenteric blood drains into a systemic vein and bypasses the liver through a complete or partial shunt. Severe complications include hyperammonemia and encephalopathy, benign and malignant liver tumors, and hepatopulmonary syndrome. We describe a case where a female adult diagnosed with congenital extrahepatic portosystemic shunt subsequently developed focal nodular hyperplasia and then hepatocellular carcinoma.

Living donor liver transplantation in a pediatric patient with congenital absence of the portal vein

Congenital absence of the portal vein (CAPV) is a rare venous malformation in which mesenteric venous blood drains directly into the systemic circulation. We report a case of pediatric living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) for CAPV combined with focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH) and hepatocellular adenoma. A 9-year-old girl who had been diagnosed with multiple FNH had CAPV. Her blood ammonia level was raised to 137 μg/dL. However, she did not complain of any symptoms. To treat CAPV and FNH, we decided to perform LDLT. The graft was a left liver graft from 39-year-old mother of the patient. Recipient hepatectomy was performed according to standard procedures of pediatric LDLT. Portal vein reconstruction was performed using interposition of an iliac vein homograft conduit to the superior mesenteric vein-splenic vein confluence. The CAPV-associated congenital splenorenal shunt was securely ligated. The pathology report of the explant liver showed a 2 cm-sized hepatocellular adenoma and multiple FNH lesions measuring up to 7.1 cm. The patient recovered uneventfully from the LDLT operation. The reconstructed portal vein was maintained well without any hemodynamic abnormalities. In conclusion, as CAPV patients can have various vascular anomalies, combined vascular anomalies should be thoroughly assessed before and during liver transplantation operation. The most effective reconstruction techniques should be used to achieve satisfactory results following liver transplantation.

Hyperandrogenism and malignant degeneration of hepatic adenomas in the setting of Abernethy malformation

Abernethy malformation refer to a congenital absence of intrahepatic portal veins leading to a primarily extrahepatic congenital portosystemic shunt. The lack of intrahepatic portal veins leads to a characteristic set of physical exam and imaging findings that may include hyperandrogenism and liver masses such as hepatic adenomas or focal nodular hyperplasia. In this case report, we describe a 20-year-old female who presented with an enlarging hepatic adenoma. A separate hepatic adenoma had previously been biopsied and noted to have undergone malignant degeneration into hepatocellular carcinoma. For each lesion, she was treated with combination transarterial embolization and microwave ablation. On follow-up imaging after therapy, it was then noted that her extrahepatic portal vein drained directly into the inferior vena cava, consistent with congenital portosystemic shunt. Recognition of this vascular anomaly is critical in treatment planning, as early intervention with either medical therapy or surgery can prevent the metabolic sequela of this unique constellation of symptoms.

An adolescent girl in Hong Kong with type Ib Abernethy malformation complicated by multiple focal nodular hyperplasia

Congenital portosystemic venous shunts are developmental anomalies. They represent portal communication with the systemic circulation. The pathogenesis is linked to the complexity of the embryological development of the inferior vena cava and portal vein. We reported a case of an asymptomatic 14-year-old Chinese adolescent girl in Hong Kong with a confirmed congenital portosystemic shunt type 1b. The condition can be diagnosed using contrast-enhanced CT scans and MRIs. Early recognition of the condition is important due to elevated risks of developing hepatocellular tumours. Liver transplantation may be considered curative.

Correlation between portal vein diameter and craniocaudal length of the spleen

Objective

To determine the correlation between portal vein diameter and spleen size (craniocaudal).

Methodology

The study was conducted at the University Ultrasound Clinic, The University of Lahore, Lahore Pakistan from 1^st January to 1^st July 2013. All the individuals who referred for abdominal sonographic examination, including male, female, older and younger were conveniently included in the study, voluntarily, irrespective of the disease state. Ultrasonographic measurements of the caudocranial length of the spleen and portal vein were carried out on all of the one thousand subjects. The subject position for spleen was supine or right posterior oblique during suspended inspiration and right anterior oblique position for portal vein diameter with quiet respiration. The correlation between the splenic length and portal vein diameter was evaluated.

Result

A total of 1000 subjects; 36.9% females and 63.1% males aged from 4 to 79 years. The mean splenic length was 10.29 ± 1.89 cm. The mean portal vein diameter was 10.27 ± 1.78 mm. A statistically significant correlation was found between the spleen size and portal vein diameter; the Pearson correlation was significant at the 0.01 level.

Conclusion

Portal vein diameter is directly correlated to splenic caudocranial length. A regression formula was developed to measure the splenic length from the calculation of portal vein diameter.

Abernethy malformation and hepatocellular carcinoma: a serious consequence of a rare disease

Congenital portosystemic shunts (CPSS) are a rare vascular consequence of embryogenetic vascular alterations or the persistence of the fetal circulation elements, first described by John Abernethy in 1793 and classified by Morgan and Superina, into complete and partial portosystemic shunts. Its prevalence to this day has not been defined. We present a patient series of a 44-year-old and 47-year-old man and woman, with this rare congenital malformation and underlining hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treatment strategies. Over half of the individuals with CPSS have benign or malignant liver tumours, ranging from nodular regenerative hyperplasia, focal nodular hyperplasia, adenomas, HCC and hepatoblastomas. Additionally, it is known that half of individuals with Abernethy malformation type Ib will develop one or multiple types of tumours. There seems to be a direct association with tumorigenesis and CPSS, which is the primary consequence of absent portal flow. Surgery is the treatment of choice, either as a curative resection or orthotopic liver transplantation if recommended as per the criteria, in which replacing the hepatic parenchyma in the setting of an Abernathy malformation will correct the underlining hyper-arterialisation.