Living donor liver transplantation for end-stage liver disease with severe hepatopulmonary syndrome: report of a case

Time-dependent reversal of significant intrapulmonary shunt after liver transplantation

BACKGROUND/AIMS

Although the association between intrapulmonary shunt (IPS) and liver cirrhosis is clear, data of repeated contrast echocardiography (CE) before and after liver transplantation (LT) to evaluate factors associated with IPS are limited.

METHODS

Hand-agitated saline was used for CE and, by assessing left-chamber opacification, IPS was classified as grade 0 to 4. Grade 3/4 constituted significant IPS and hepatopulmonary syndrome (HPS) was defined as significant IPS with the arterial partial pressure of oxygen < 70 mmHg.

RESULTS

Before LT, 253 patients underwent CE and the frequency of significant IPS and HPS were 44% (n = 112) and 7% (n = 17), respectively. Child-Pugh score (odds ratio [OR], 1.345; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.090 to 1.660; p = 0.006) and arterial oxygen content (OR, 0.838; 95% CI, 0.708 to 0.991; p = 0.039) were independent determinants of significant IPS, whereas direct bilirubin (OR, 1.076; 95% CI, 1.012 to 1.144; p = 0.019) was the only variable associated with HPS. Among 153 patients who underwent successful LT, repeated CE was performed in 97 (63%), which showed significant reductions in IPS grade (from 2.6 ± 1.0 to 1.2 ± 1.3, p < 0.001) and the prevalence of significant IPS (from 56% to 20%, p = 0.038). After adjustment for pre-LT IPS grade, time from LT to repeated CE presented negative linear relationship with post-LT IPS grade (r 2 = 0.366, p < 0.001) and was the only determinant of post-LT IPS grade (OR, 1.009; 95% CI, 1.003 to 1.014; p = 0.004).

CONCLUSION

Repeated CE is useful to evaluate intrapulmonary vascular change before and after LT. Reversal of IPS after successful LT is time-dependent and follow-up duration should be considered for accurate assessment of IPS after LT.

Hepatopulmonary Syndrome and Liver Transplantation: A Recent Review of the Literature

A severe and common pulmonary vascular complication of liver disease is hepatopulmonary syndrome (HPS). It is a triad of liver dysfunction and/or portal hypertension, intrapulmonary vascular dilatations, and increased alveolar-arterial oxygen gradient. Prevalence varies according to various study groups from 4%-47%. While the most common presenting symptom of HPS is dyspnea, it is usually asymptomatic, and thus all liver transplant candidates should be screened for its presence. Pulse oximetry is a useful screening method, but arterial blood gas examination is the gold standard. If there is an abnormal P (A-a)O2 gradient, microbubble transthoracic echocardiography should be done for diagnosis. Outcome is unpredictable, and there is currently no effective medical therapy. The only effective therapy is considered to be liver transplantation. Complete resolution of HPS after liver transplantation is seen within a year in most HPS patients.

Successful resolution of very severe hepatopulmonary syndrome following adult-to-adult living donor liver transplantation: Report of two cases

Hepatopulmonary syndrome (HPS) is a severe complication in patients with chronic liver disease with poor prognosis. Liver transplantation (LT) is a promising treatment for HPS; however, very severe HPS, which is defined by an arterial oxygen pressure (PaO₂ ) of less than 50 mmHg and a right-left intrapulmonary shunt rate of more than 20%, may be a contraindication to LT, including living donor LT (LDLT). Here, we report two cases of decompensated liver cirrhosis with very severe HPS which were resolved after adult-to-adult LDLT including ABO-incompatible LDLT. Both patients required oxygen supportive therapy in combination with specialized respiratory care postoperatively, followed by improvement of oxygenation and substantial decreases of intrapulmonary shunt rate. These findings suggest very severe HPS can be resolved by LDLT, including ABO-incompatible LDLT, and reduced graft volume did not impede the reversal of intrapulmonary shunting. Our current report may indicate that adult-to-adult LDLT, including ABO-incompatible LDLT, is becoming an effective therapeutic method and prompt a review of previous reports as well as our own files with particular regard to the indication of LDLT for decompensated liver cirrhosis with very severe HPS.

Hepatopulmonary Syndrome

Hepatopulmonary syndrome (HPS) is a pulmonary complication observed in patients with chronic liver disease and/or portal hypertension, attributable to an intrapulmonary vascular dilatation that may induce severe hypoxemia. Microvascular dilation and angiogenesis in the lung have been identified as pathologic features that drive gas exchange abnormalities in experimental HPS. Pulse oximetry is a useful screening test for HPS, which can guide subsequent use of arterial blood gases. Contrast-enhanced echocardiography, perfusion lung scanning, and pulmonary arteriography are three currently used diagnostic imaging modalities that identify the presence of intrapulmonary vascular abnormalities. The presence of HPS increases mortality and impairs quality of life, but is reversible with liver transplantation. No medical therapy is established as effective for HPS. At the present time, liver transplantation is the only available treatment for HPS.

Improved severe hepatopulmonary syndrome after liver transplantation in an adolescent with end-stage liver disease secondary to biliary atresia

Hepatopulmonary syndrome (HPS) is a serious complication of end-stage liver disease, which is characterized by hypoxia, intrapulmonary vascular dilatation, and liver cirrhosis. Liver transplantation (LT) is the only curative treatment modality for patients with HPS. However, morbidity and mortality after LT, especially in cases of severe HPS, remain high. This case report describes a patient with typical findings of an extracardiac pulmonary arteriovenous shunt on contrast-enhanced transesophageal echocardiography (TEE), and clubbing fingers, who had complete correction of HPS by deceased donor LT. The patient was a 16-year-old female who was born with biliary atresia and underwent porto-enterostomy on the 55th day after birth. She had been suffered from progressive liver failure with dyspnea, clubbing fingers, and cyanosis. Preoperative arterial blood gas analysis revealed severe hypoxia (arterial O2 tension of 54.5 mmHg and O2 saturation of 84.2%). Contrast-enhanced TEE revealed an extracardiac right-to-left shunt, which suggested an intrapulmonary arteriovenous shunt. The patient recovered successfully after LT, not only with respect to physical parameters but also for pychosocial activity, including school performance, during the 30-month follow-up period.

Hepatopulmonary syndrome: update on pathogenesis and clinical features

Hepatopulmonary syndrome (HPS) is a serious vascular complication of liver disease that occurs in 5-32% of patients with cirrhosis. The presence of HPS markedly increases mortality. No effective medical therapies are currently available and liver transplantation is the only established treatment option for HPS. The definition and diagnosis of HPS are established by the presence of a triad of liver disease with intrapulmonary vascular dilation that causes abnormal arterial gas exchange. Experimental biliary cirrhosis induced by common bile duct ligation in the rat reproduces the pulmonary vascular and gas exchange abnormalities of human HPS and serves as a pertinent animal model. Pulmonary microvascular dilation and angiogenesis are two central pathogenic features that drive abnormal pulmonary gas exchange in experimental HPS, and thus might underlie HPS in humans. Defining the mechanisms involved in the microvascular alterations of HPS has the potential to lead to effective medical therapies. This Review focuses on the current understanding of the pathogenesis, clinical features and management of HPS.