Liver transplantation in a randomized controlled trial of emergency treatment of acutely bleeding esophageal varices in cirrhosis

BACKGROUND

Bleeding esophageal varices (BEV) in cirrhosis has been considered an indication for liver transplantation (LT). This issue was examined in a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of unselected, consecutive patients with advanced cirrhosis and BEV that compared endoscopic sclerotherapy (EST; n = 106) to emergency direct portacaval shunt (EPCS; n = 105).

METHODS

Diagnostic work-up and treatment were initiated within 8 hours. Patients were evaluated for LT on admission and repeatedly thereafter; 96% underwent over 10 years of regular follow-up. The analysis was supplemented by 1300 unrandomized cirrhotic patients who previously underwent portacaval shunt (PCS) with 100% follow-up.

RESULTS

In the RCT long-term bleeding control was 100% following EPCS, only 20% following EST. Also, 3-, 5-, 10-, and 15-year survival rates were 75%, 73%, 46%, and 46%, respectively, following EPCS compared with 44%, 21%, 9%, and 9% following EST, respectively (P < .001). Only 13 RCT patients (6%) were ultimately referred for LT mainly because of progressive liver failure; only 7 (3%) were approved for LT and only 4 (2%) underwent LT. The 1- and 5-year LT survival rates were 0.68% and 0, respectively, compared with 81% and 73%, respectively, after EPCS. In the 1300 unrandomized PCS patients, 50 (3.8%) were referred and 19 (1.5%) underwent LT. The 5-year survival rate was 53% compared with 72% for all 1300 patients.

CONCLUSIONS

If bleeding is permanently controlled, as occurred invariably following EPCS, cirrhotic patients with BEV seldom require LT. PCS is effective first-line and long-term treatment. Should LT be required in patients with PCS, although technically more demanding, numerous studies have shown that PCS does not increase mortality or complications. EST is not effective emergency or long-term therapy.

A 27-year experience with surgical treatment of Budd-Chiari syndrome

OBJECTIVE

To determine the effects of surgical portal decompression in Budd-Chiari syndrome (BCS) on survival, quality of life, shunt patency, liver function, portal hemodynamics, and hepatic morphology during periods ranging from 3.5 to 27 years.

SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA

Experiments in the authors' laboratory showed that surgical portal decompression reversed the deleterious effects of BCS on the liver. This study was aimed at determining whether similar benefit could be obtained in patients with BCS.

METHODS

From 1972 to 1999, the authors conducted prospective studies of the treatment of 60 patients with BCS who were divided into three groups: the first had occlusion confined to the hepatic veins treated by direct side-to-side portacaval shunt (SSPCS); the second had occlusion involving the inferior vena cava (IVC) treated by a portal decompressive procedure that bypassed the obstructed IVC; and the third group, who had advanced cirrhosis and hepatic decompensation and were referred too late for treatment by portal decompression, required orthotopic liver transplantation.

RESULTS

In the 32 patients with BCS resulting from hepatic vein occlusion alone, SSPCS had a surgical death rate of 3%, and 94% of the patients were alive 3.5 to 27 years after surgery. All 31 survivors remained free of ascites and almost all had normal liver function. No patient with a patent shunt had encephalopathy. The SSPCS remained patent in all but one patient. Liver biopsies showed no evidence of congestion or necrosis, and 48% of the biopsies were diagnosed as normal. Mesoatrial shunt was performed in eight patients with BCS caused by IVC thrombosis. All patients survived surgery, but five subsequently developed thrombosis of the synthetic graft and died. Because of the poor results, mesoatrial shunt was abandoned. Instead, a high-flow combination shunt was introduced, consisting of SSPCS combined with a cavoatrial shunt (CAS) through a Gore-Tex graft. There were no surgical or long-term deaths among 10 patients who underwent combined SSPCS and CAS, and the shunts functioned effectively during 4 to 16 years of follow-up. Ten patients with advanced cirrhosis were referred too late to benefit from surgical portal decompression, and they were approved and listed for orthotopic liver transplantation. Three patients died of liver failure while awaiting a transplant, and four patients died after the transplant. The 1- and 5-year survival rates were 40% and 30%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

SSPCS in BCS with hepatic vein occlusion alone results in reversal of liver damage, correction of hemodynamic disturbances, prolonged survival, and good quality of life when performed early in the course of BCS. Similarly good results are obtained with combined SSPCS and CAS in patients with BCS resulting from IVC occlusion. In contrast, mesoatrial shunt has been discontinued in the authors' program because of an unacceptable incidence of graft thrombosis and death. In patients with advanced cirrhosis from long-standing, untreated BCS, orthotopic liver transplantation is the only hope of relief and results in the salvage of some patients. The key to long survival in BCS is prompt diagnosis and treatment by portal decompression.

Adjunctive 3D US for achieving portal vein access during transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt procedures

PURPOSE

To evaluate the usefulness of information provided by three-dimensional ultrasound (3D US) and to determine whether 3D US decreased the number of passes required to obtain portal vein (PV) access during creation of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunts (TIPS).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Intermittent 3D US volume acquisitions were obtained during creation of TIPS in 20 patients. Useful information provided by 3D US was tabulated. The number of passes required to achieve PV access was recorded and results were compared retrospectively to 25 patients who underwent TIPS without 3D US.

RESULTS

3D US documented that the operator's opinion of which hepatic vein had been selected was incorrect in nine patients (45%), detected unfavorable PV anatomy that required modification of equipment or technique in seven patients (35%), permitted estimation of the trajectory required to access the targeted PV in all patients (100%), assisted in selecting the optimal point along the hepatic vein for origination of the needle pass in 11 patients (55%), allowed avoidance of a large hepatocellular carcinoma in one patient (5%), and confirmed that access into the main PV was intrahepatic in four patients (20%). The mean number of needle passes decreased from 10.4 in the historic control group to 4.6 in the 3D US group (P = .0001).

CONCLUSION

3D US provided imaging information that detected technical errors and altered anatomy, and provided positional and directional information to significantly improve needle pass efficiency.

Adjunctive 3D US for achieving portal vein access during transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt procedures

PURPOSE

To evaluate the usefulness of information provided by three-dimensional ultrasound (3D US) and to determine whether 3D US decreased the number of passes required to obtain portal vein (PV) access during creation of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunts (TIPS).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Intermittent 3D US volume acquisitions were obtained during creation of TIPS in 20 patients. Useful information provided by 3D US was tabulated. The number of passes required to achieve PV access was recorded and results were compared retrospectively to 25 patients who underwent TIPS without 3D US.

RESULTS

3D US documented that the operator's opinion of which hepatic vein had been selected was incorrect in nine patients (45%), detected unfavorable PV anatomy that required modification of equipment or technique in seven patients (35%), permitted estimation of the trajectory required to access the targeted PV in all patients (100%), assisted in selecting the optimal point along the hepatic vein for origination of the needle pass in 11 patients (55%), allowed avoidance of a large hepatocellular carcinoma in one patient (5%), and confirmed that access into the main PV was intrahepatic in four patients (20%). The mean number of needle passes decreased from 10.4 in the historic control group to 4.6 in the 3D US group (P = .0001).

CONCLUSION

3D US provided imaging information that detected technical errors and altered anatomy, and provided positional and directional information to significantly improve needle pass efficiency.

Lifelong prevention of mesangial enlargement by whole pancreas transplantation in rats with diabetes mellitus

BACKGROUND

Mesangial enlargement (ME) is one of the hallmark lesions of diabetic nephropathy and plays a major role in diabetic renal failure. Conventional treatment of type 1 diabetes mellitus with insulin injections, diet, and medications has often failed to prevent development and progression of ME, presumably because of difficulty in achieving tight metabolic control. Although many pancreas transplantations have been done in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus, there is insufficient information about their influence on ME or other diabetic lesions that are responsible for its morbidity and mortality.

HYPOTHESIS

Whole pancreas transplantation will prevent diabetic ME throughout the life of the rat with alloxan-induced diabetes mellitus.

DESIGN

Mesangial enlargement was studied for 28 months by a highly reproducible quantitative morphologic method in 55 nondiabetic control rats, 57 control rats with alloxan-induced diabetes mellitus, 97 diabetic rats that received a pancreaticoduodenal isograft shortly after the induction of diabetes mellitus, and 126 diabetic rats that received a duct-ligated pancreas isograft shortly after the induction of diabetes mellitus. Mesangial enlargement was determined by measuring the area occupied by camera lucida tracings of the mesangium using an electronic planimeter connected to a computer.

RESULTS

Monthly metabolic studies showed that whole pancreas transplantation maintained very tight metabolic control of diabetes mellitus. Alloxan-induced diabetes mellitus produced progressive accumulation of mesangial matrix and progressive enlargement of all elements of the mesangium during the study. The 2 types of whole pancreas transplants provided lifelong protection against abnormal ME (P = .006).

CONCLUSIONS

These results, combined with our previous finding of lifelong prevention of abnormal glomerular capillary basement membrane thickening, demonstrate that whole pancreas transplantation performed early in the course of alloxan-induced diabetes mellitus is capable of preventing diabetic kidney lesions. Moreover, these results suggest that whole pancreas transplants might be useful preventive therapy in patients with diabetes mellitus who undergo kidney transplantation for renal failure, in whom recurrence of nephropathy often develops in the transplanted kidney.

Budd-Chiari syndrome caused by Behçet's disease: treatment by side-to-side portacaval shunt

BACKGROUND

Behçet's disease is a chronic multisystem vasculitis of unknown etiology that involves skin, mucous membranes, eyes, blood vessels, joints, central nervous system, digestive system, and occasionally other organs. Budd-Chiari syndrome from occlusion of the major hepatic veins is a rare and serious complication of Behçet's disease. Although the mortality rate of Behçet's disease is only 3% to 4%, development of Budd-Chiari syndrome in patients with Behçet's disease has been associated with a mortality rate of 61%. This report presents the largest reported experience of Behçet's disease-related Budd-Chiari syndrome confined to the hepatic veins, and results of treatment by side-to-side portacaval shunt (SSPCS). These results are compared with those we have obtained in Budd-Chiari syndrome confined to the hepatic veins without Behçet's disease, and with results of treatment of Budd-Chiari syndrome in Behçet's disease reported in the literature.

STUDY DESIGN

SSPCS was performed in 5 patients with Behcet's disease who had developed acute Budd-Chiari syndrome, and 27 patients with Budd-Chiari syndrome from other causes. In all patients, Budd-Chiari syndrome was confined to the hepatic veins without involvement of the inferior vena cava (IVC). Patients were studied prospectively and were followed up at regular intervals for from 1.5 to 26 years (mean 10.6 years, 81% more than 5 years). Followup was 100%. Patients were mainly young adults; mean age was 24.6 years in the patients with Behçet's disease and 30.0 years in those without Behçet's disease. All patients had massive ascites, abdominal pain, hepatosplenomegaly, and abnormal liver function. Diagnosis was based on angiographic demonstration of occlusion of the major hepatic veins, and liver biopsy findings of intense hepatic congestion and necrosis. SSPCS was performed within 4 months of the onset of Budd-Chiari syndrome in all but 3 patients. Every year or two in followup, patients underwent liver biopsy and evaluation of SSPCS by Doppler duplex ultrasonography and angiography with pressure measurements. Outcomes criteria included mortality rate, SSPCS patency, maintenance of portal decompression, liver function, presence of ascites, presence of portal-systemic encephalopathy (PSE), need for diuretics, quality of life, and return to work. Our results were compared with those reported in the literature in 42 patients who had Budd-Chiari syndrome with Behçet's disease.

RESULTS

SSPCS permanently reduced the mean portal vein-IVC pressure gradient (mm saline) from 205 to 7 in the 5 patients with Behçet's disease, and from 250 to 4 in the 27 without Behçet's disease. There was only one operative death, a patient without Behcet's disease. One patient with Behçet's disease died 2 years postoperatively from diffuse vasculitis, a complication of Behçet's disease, and the other 4 (80%) remain alive. All 26 operative survivors in the group without Behçet's disease (96%) are alive. Only one patient developed occlusion of the SSPCS, a man without Behçet's disease, and he required liver transplantation as a result of hepatic decompensation, PSE, and recurrent ascites. All other patients with or without Behçet's disease remained free of ascites, required no diuretics, were free of PSE, and had reversal of hepatic dysfunction. Serial liver biopsies showed normal architecture in 60% of patients with Behçet's disease and 46% of those without Behçet's disease. Return to fulltime work or housekeeping occurred in 80% of patients with Behçet's disease and 96% without Behçet's disease. Comparison of outcomes of our patients with 42 cases of Behçet's disease with Budd-Chiari syndrome reported in the literature, 79% of whom were treated medically, showed striking differences with an overall mortality rate of 61% in generally shortterm followup. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED)

Experimental, clinical, and metabolic results of side-to-side portacaval shunt for intractable cirrhotic ascites

BACKGROUND

Intractable ascites, refractory to medical therapy, occurs in approximately 10 percent of patients with ascites from cirrhosis and is almost always fatal. Sinusoidal hypertension resulting from hepatic venous outflow obstruction plays a primary role in the pathogenesis of cirrhotic ascites and provides the rationale for decompression of the liver by side-to-side portacaval shunt in treatment of intractable ascites. This report presents the experimental basis for the use of side-to-side shunt and long-term results of a prospective study in 34 selected patients with intractable cirrhotic ascites.

STUDY DESIGN

In the experimental studies, hepatic venous outflow obstruction and massive ascites were produced in dogs by ligation of the hepatic veins, and the effect of portacaval shunts on ascites, thoracic duct lymph flow, and aldosterone secretion were measured. In the clinical study, 34 carefully selected patients with cirrhosis (91 percent alcoholic) and truly intractable ascites (failure of medical therapy for 5 to 24 months) underwent side-to-side portacaval shunt. The effects on ascites, survival, metabolic abnormalities, and quality of life were studied prospectively during follow-up that was longer than 5 years in all but two patients. Quantitative Child's risk classes in percent of patients were A in 0, B in 68, and C in 32.

RESULTS

In the experimental studies, side-to-side portacaval shunt permanently relieved severe ascites, reduced the 13-fold increase in thoracic duct lymph flow rate to almost normal, and abolished the aldosterone hypersecretory response to minimal hepatic venous outflow obstruction. End-to-side portacaval shunt was much less effective. In the clinical study, side-to-side portacaval shunt reduced mean portal vein-inferior vena cava pressure gradient from 282 mm saline to 4 mm and permanently relieved all patients of ascites without subsequent requirement of diuretic therapy. Two patients who died of hepatoma, and one who died of heart failure developed terminal ascites. Thirty-day mortality rate was 6 percent, and long-term survival rates at 5, 10, and 15 years were 75 percent, 74 percent, and 73 percent. In metabolic studies, side-to-side shunt produced marked diuresis and natriuresis and abolished hypersecretion of aldosterone. Quality of life was generally improved as a result of a low incidence of recurrent portal-systemic encephalopathy (6 percent), abstinence from alcohol in 91 percent, improvement in liver function in 81 percent, and improvement in Child's risk class. The portacaval anastomosis remained permanently patent in every patient.

CONCLUSIONS

Side-to-side portacaval shunt is very effective treatment of intractable ascites from cirrhosis. Our results are attributable to careful selection of patients, an organized system of care, and a program of rigorous, lifelong follow-up that emphasizes abstinence from alcohol and dietary protein restriction.

Portal vein thrombosis in cirrhosis with variceal hemorrhage

Organized thrombus in the main trunk of the portal vein was encountered in 85 (6.5%) of 1300 patients with cirrhosis and variceal hemorrhage who underwent direct portacaval shunt (PCS). The thrombus was successfully removed with restoration of portal blood flow in all patients by phlebothrombectomy and balloon catheter extraction. Of the 85 patients, 65 were among 400 unselected patients who underwent emergency PCS (16%), and 20 were among 900 selected patients who underwent elective PCS (2%). All patients were closely followed for at least 5 years. Patients with portal vein thrombosis (PVT) had more advanced liver disease than those without PVT, reflected preoperatively in significantly higher (P < 0.01) incidences of ascites (75%), severe muscle wasting (52%), varices of very large size (94%), the hyperdynamic state (94%), severe hypersplenism with a platelet count of less than 50,000/mm3 (92%), and placement in Child's class C (52%). Side-to-side PCS reduced the portal vein-inferior vena cava pressure gradient to a mean of 23 mm saline solution in patients with PVT, similar to the marked pressure reduction obtained in patients without PVT. PCS promptly stopped variceal bleeding in all patients in the emergency PCS group. Permanent prevention of recurrent variceal bleeding was successful in 95% of patients with PVT and more than 99% of patients without PVT. Survival rates were similar in patients with and without PVT. In patients with PVT, survival rates at 30 days and 1, 5, 10, and 15 years following emergency PCS were 69%, 66%, 65%, 55%, and 51%, respectively, and following elective PCS were 95%, 90%, 70%, 65%, and 60%, respectively. Quality of life was similar in patients with and without PVT. Long-term PCS patency was demonstrated yearly in 93% of patients in the group with PVT and in 99.7% of patients without PVT. Other similarities after 5 years between patients with and without PVT, respectively, were the incidences of recurrent encephalopathy (9% vs. 8%), alcohol abstinence (61% vs. 64%), improved liver function (68% vs. 62% to 75%), and return to work (52% vs. 56% to 64%). It was concluded that in patients with cirrhosis and variceal hemorrhage it is almost always possible to remove portal vein thrombus by means of phlebothrombectomy and then perform a direct PCS with results similar to those achieved in the absence of PVT.

Treatment of bleeding from portal hypertensive gastropathy by portacaval shunt

Portal hypertensive gastropathy is a vascular disorder of the gastric mucosa distinguished by ectasia of the mucosal capillaries and submucosal veins without inflammation. During 1988 to 1993, 12 patients with biopsy-proven cirrhosis (10 alcoholic, 2 posthepatitic) were evaluated and treated prospectively by portacaval shunt for active bleeding from severe portal hypertensive gastropathy. Eleven patients had been hospitalized for bleeding three to nine times previously, and one was bleeding uncontrollably for the first time. Requirement for blood transfusions ranged from 11 to 39 units cumulatively, of which 8 to 30 units were required specifically to replace blood lost from portal hypertensive gastropathy. Admission findings were ascites in 9 patients, jaundice in 8, severe muscle wasting in 10, hyperdynamic state in 9. Child's risk class was C in 7, B in 4, A in 1. Ten of the 12 patients had previously received repetitive endoscopic sclerotherapy for esophageal varices, which has been reported to precipitate portal hypertensive gastropathy. Eight patients had failed propranolol therapy for bleeding. Portacaval shunt was performed emergently in 11 patients and electively in 1, and permanently stopped bleeding in all by reducing the mean portal vein-inferior vena cava pressure gradient from 251 to 16 mm saline. There were no operative deaths, and two unrelated late deaths after 13 and 24 months. During 1 to 6.75 years of follow-up, all shunts remained patent by ultrasonography, the gastric mucosa reverted to normal on serial endoscopy, and there was no gastrointestinal bleeding. Recurrent portal-systemic encephalopathy developed in only 8% of patients. Quality of life was generally good.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Three decades of experience with emergency portacaval shunt for acutely bleeding esophageal varices in 400 unselected patients with cirrhosis of the liver

BACKGROUND

Emergency treatment of acute bleeding is of singular and paramount importance in the therapy of portal hypertension and esophagogastric varices. Accordingly, for more than three decades we have conducted prospective studies of emergency therapy, and particularly of emergency portacaval shunt (EPCS).

STUDY DESIGN

Emergency portacaval shunt was performed upon 400 patients with cirrhosis of the liver and acutely bleeding esophagogastric varices according to three principles: operation within eight hours of initial contact; unselected patients, meaning that no patient with variceal bleeding caused by hepatic disease was excluded from EPCS, and prospective study, meaning that a well-defined protocol was consistently used and data were collected on-line. Patients were divided into an early group of 180 treated from 1963 to 1978 and a recent group of 220 treated from 1978 to July, 1990, with similar characteristics, but strikingly different outcome. Follow-up rates at one, five, and ten years were 100, 98, and 97 percent, respectively; 96 percent of patients underwent EPCS five or more years ago. Proof of acute variceal bleeding and of cirrhosis of the liver (alcoholic in 95 percent) was obtained in every patient. Child's risk classes determined quantitatively were A in 11 percent of the patients, B in 65 percent, and C in 24 percent. All patients had a direct portacaval shunt, side-to-side in 85 percent, which reduced the mean portal vein to inferior vena cava pressure gradient from 271 to 21 mm saline solution.

RESULTS

All but four patients (99 percent) had immediate and permanent control of variceal bleeding. Thrombosis of the shunt occurred in only two patients (0.5 percent). Survival rates at 30 days, five years, ten years, and 15 years in the early group were 58, 40, 30, and 30 percent, respectively, while in the recent group they were 85, 78, 71, and 57 percent, respectively (p < 0.0001). Other striking gains in the recent group were abstention from alcohol, improvement in liver function and improvement in Child's class, all in 70 percent of patients. Recurrent portal-systemic encephalopathy occurred in 9 percent of the early group and 8 percent of the recent group.

CONCLUSIONS

Emergency portacaval shunt substantially improved survival and quality of life of patients with cirrhosis of the liver and bleeding varices. Our results are attributable to rapid and simplified diagnosis, prompt operation, an organized system of care, and rigorous, lifelong follow-up evaluation that emphasized abstinence from alcohol and dietary protein control. Transplantation of the liver is infrequently required in patients whose bleeding is permanently controlled.

Prospective randomized trial of emergency portacaval shunt and emergency medical therapy in unselected cirrhotic patients with bleeding varices

A prospective randomized trial was conducted in unselected, consecutive patients with bleeding esophageal varices resulting from cirrhosis comparing (1) emergency portacaval shunt performed within 8 hr of initial contact (21 patients) with (2) emergency medical therapy (intravenous vasopressin and esophageal balloon tamponade) followed in 9 to 30 days by elective portacaval shunt in survivors (22 patients). All patients underwent the same diagnostic workup within 3 to 6 hr of initial contact, and received identical supportive therapy initially. All patients were followed up for at least 10 yr. The protocol contained no escape or cross-over provisions. There were no statistically significant differences between the two treatment groups in the incidence of any of the clinical variables, results of laboratory tests or degree of portal hypertension. Child's risk classes in the shunt group were A-2 patients, B-8 patients and C-11 patients, whereas in the medical group they were A-10 patients, B-5 patients, and C-7 patients, a significant difference (p < 0.01) that might have favored emergency medical treatment. Bleeding was controlled initially and permanently by emergency shunt in every patient, but by medical therapy in only 45% (p < 0.001). Mean requirement for blood transfusion was 7.1 +/- 2.6 units in the shunt group and 21.4 +/- 2.6 units in the medical group (p < 0.001). Eighty-one percent of the patients in the shunt group were discharged alive compared with 45% in the medical group (p = 0.027). Five- and 10-yr observed survival rates were 67% and 57%, respectively, after emergency shunt compared with 18% and 18%, respectively, after the combination of emergency medical therapy and elective shunt (p < 0.01). These survival rates produced by emergency shunt performed within 8 hr of initial contact confirm the effectiveness of this procedure observed in our previous unrandomized studies.

Free jejunal autograft combined with extensive esophagogastrectomy for unshuntable extrahepatic portal hypertension

This is the first report of the use of a free jejunal autograft vascularized by the internal thoracic (internal mammary) artery and vein to restore continuity of the digestive tract after total gastrectomy and distal 65% esophagectomy for recurrent bleeding esophagogastric varices caused by unshuntable extrahepatic portal hypertension. The procedure was used in two young adults who, because of numerous previous abdominal operations, had a severely scarred and contracted intestinal mesentery that precluded conventional use of the small or large intestine with an intact blood supply to bridge the gap between the upper thoracic esophagus and the abdominal jejunum. Before referral, the two patients had 21 and eight bouts of variceal hemorrhage, respectively, that necessitated a cumulative total of 108 and 74 units of blood transfusion, necessitated 17 and 12 admissions to the hospital, and failed to respond to four and five operations and 14 and 18 sessions of endoscopic sclerotherapy. After extensive esophagogastrectomy combined with a free jejunal autograft, both patients have done well during follow-up of 9 and 3 years, respectively. Both have been in good to excellent health with stable weight, freedom from digestive tract bleeding, normal liver function, and no encephalopathy. These results confirm our recently reported conclusions regarding the uniform long-term effectiveness of extensive esophagogastrectomy in the treatment of unshuntable extrahepatic portal hypertension and suggest that thoracic and general surgeons familiar with microvascular techniques may find the free jejunal autograft to be useful in various circumstances in which it is necessary to replace all or a substantial part of the thoracic esophagus.

Treatment of bleeding esophagogastric varices due to extrahepatic portal hypertension: results of portal-systemic shunts during 35 years

From 1958 to 1990, elective therapeutic portal-systemic shunt (PSS) procedures were performed for recurrent bleeding esophagogastric varices in 162 children and adults with extrahepatic portal hypertension (EHPH) resulting from portal vein thrombosis (PVT). The onset of EHPH was in childhood for at least 74% of patients. Of the 162 patients, 147 were eligible for and received 5 years of follow-up (100%), and 117 were eligible for and received 10 years of follow-up (100%). The longest follow-up was 35 years. The cause of PVT was unknown in 68%, neonatal omphalitis in 12%, umbilical vein catheterization in 8%, peritonitis in 6%, trauma in 4%, and thrombotic coagulopathy in 2%. The number of variceal bleeding episodes ranged from 2 to 18 (mean, 5.6). None of the patients had clinical, biochemical, or liver biopsy evidence of liver disease. Esophageal varices were demonstrated by endoscopy, and/or contrast x-rays, and/or angiography in all patients. Visceral angiography was always used to demonstrate the extent of portal obstruction and the veins available for shunting. Before referral, the following procedures had failed: endoscopic sclerotherapy (68 patients), splenectomy alone (32 patients), central splenorenal shunt with splenectomy (10 patients), transesophageal varix ligation (12 patients). Three types of PSS were used: (1) central side-to-side splenorenal without splenectomy (75 patients, 46%); (2) central end-to-side splenorenal with splenectomy (34 patients, 21%); and (3) mesocaval (end-to-side cavomesenteric) (53 patients, 33%). PSS reduced the mean corrected portal pressure from 292 to 28 mm saline. All patients survived the procedure and left the hospital (100%). The actuarial survival rate for 5 years is 99%, and for 10 years is 96%. Three of the 6 deaths were unrelated to EHPH or PSS. Shunt patency for up to 35 years was demonstrated in 98% of patients by angiography and/or ultrasonography. In four patients (2%), all of whom had end-to-side splenorenal shunts, shunt thrombosis and rebleeding developed 3, 4, 4, and 6 years (respectively) after PSS. There were the only patients who experienced rebleeding. A diligent and repeated effort was made to detect portal-systemic encephalopathy (PSE), and no instance of PSE was found during 3 to 35 years of follow-up. Liver function and morphology remained normal, and hypersplenism was corrected in all patients. Quality of life was good in 98% of patients, and 5 years after PSS 96% were gainfully employed, engaged in full-time homemaking, or attending school.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Long-term results of radical esophagogastrectomy for bleeding varices due to unshuntable extrahepatic portal hypertension

This report describes the long-term results of one-stage total gastrectomy and distal two-thirds esophagectomy, with reconstruction by esophagojejunostomy (16 Roux-en-Y; 2 interposition), in 18 adult patients with recurrent variceal hemorrhage due to unshuntable extrahepatic portal hypertension (EHPH) from occlusion of all major tributaries of the portal venous system. The etiology of portal venous occlusion was unknown in 11 patients, abdominal trauma in 3, peritonitis in 3, and thrombotic coagulopathy in 1. Almost half of the patients had their first episode of bleeding in childhood, and 83% experienced bleeding before 40 years of age. The severity of the problem was reflected by frequent previous bleeding episodes (mean: 12.8, range: 4 to 21), a large cumulative requirement for blood transfusions (mean: 129 units, range: 28 to 247 units), repeated, costly hospital admissions (mean: 15, range: 4 to 24), and numerous previous unsuccessful operations (mean: 4.4, range: 1 to 14). Blood transfusions transmitted serum hepatitis to three patients and AIDS to one, for an incidence of 22%. Bleeding recurred after repetitive endoscopic sclerotherapy in 10 patients and after various operations in 16 (failed portal-systemic shunts in 9, splenectomy in 16, devascularization procedures in 13). All patients had large esophageal and gastric varices on endoscopy, normal liver function, and widespread portal venous occlusion on visceral angiography. Radical esophagogastrectomy was usually a long and arduous operation because of dense adhesions, extensive collateral veins, and a scarred, contracted bowel mesentery due to previous operations. All patients survived the operation and are currently alive. No patient has had recurrent bleeding during 1 to 26 years of follow-up (mean: 13.9 years, 7 or more years in 14 patients). Quality of life has been good. It is concluded that radical esophagogastrectomy is the only effective treatment of unshuntable EHPH and that the operation should be performed promptly when this disease, which is associated with high mortality, high morbidity, and high costs, is diagnosed.

Long-term results of treatment of Budd-Chiari syndrome with portal decompression

Thirty-three patients with Budd-Chiari syndrome were studied for 1 to 19 years following portal decompression. All had ascites, hepatomegaly, abnormal liver function, angiographic demonstration of inferior vena cava and/or hepatic vein occlusion, and biopsy specimens showing intense hepatic congestion and necrosis. When thrombosis was confined to hepatic veins (20 patients), side-to-side portacaval shunt resulted in 95% operative survival, 90% prolonged survival, permanent shunt patency, relief of ascites, reversal of liver dysfunction, and reversal or improvement of hepatic lesions. When thrombosis involved the inferior vena cava, mesoatrial shunt (eight patients) was unsatisfactory because of a 63% mortality rate from liver failure due to shunt thrombosis. In contrast, a new procedure consisting of combined portacaval and caval-atrial shunts (five patients) has been highly successful, with 100% survival, shunt patency, relief of ascites, and reversal of pathologic abnormalities.

Is portal-systemic shunt worthwhile in Child's class C cirrhosis? Long-term results of emergency shunt in 94 patients with bleeding varices

A prospective evaluation was conducted of 94 unselected patients ("all comers") with biopsy-proven Child's class C cirrhosis (93% alcoholic) and endoscopically proven acutely bleeding esophageal varices who underwent emergency portacaval shunt (EPCS) (85% side-to-side, 15% end-to-side) within 8 hours of initial contact (mean, 6.1 hours) during the past 12 years. Follow-up has been 100% and includes all patients for at least 1 year, and 61 patients (65%) for 5 to 12 years. Incidence of serious risk factors on initial contact was: ascites, 97%; jaundice, 86%; portal-systemic encephalopathy including past history, 71%; severe muscle wasting, 96%; alcohol ingestion within 7 days, 66%; delirium tremens, 16%; serum albumin, less than or equal to 2.5 g/dL 76%; indocyanine green dye retention greater than or equal to 50% in 45 minutes, 66%; serum glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase greater than or equal to 100 units/L, 60%; hyperdynamic cardiac output greater than or equal to 6 L/minute, 98%. Mean Child's point score was 13.7 out of a maximum of 15. EPCS reduced mean corrected free portal pressure from 286 to 23 mm saline, and permanently controlled variceal bleeding in every patient. Of the 94 patients, 74 (80%) left the hospital alive and 68 (72%) survived 1 year. Five-year actuarial survival rate is 64%. Hepatic failure was the main cause of death during initial hospitalization as well as during follow-up, when it was related to continued alcoholism. Portal-systemic encephalopathy, which was present on initial contact in 55% of patients, occurred at some time during follow-up in 18.7%, but was recurrent and required dietary protein restriction in only 9%, all of whom had resumed alcoholism. The low incidence of portal-systemic encephalopathy was attributable to the lifelong program of follow-up with regular dietary counseling and continued emphasis on both protein restriction to 60 g/day and abstinence from alcohol. Abstinence was sustained in 69%, liver function improved in 82%, general health was judged excellent or good in 73%, and Child's risk class converted to class B in 73% and class A in 21%. Excluding retirees because of age, 42% were gainfully employed or engaged in full-time housekeeping. Long-term shunt patency was documented in 100% of survivors by yearly angiography or Doppler ultrasonography. It is concluded that EPCS within 8 hours of initial contact permanently controls variceal hemorrhage and results in prolonged survival and a life of acceptable quality in many alcoholic cirrhotic patients in Child's class C.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Treatment of Budd-Chiari syndrome due to inferior vena cava occlusion by combined portal and vena caval decompression

This study concerns Budd-Chiari syndrome (BCS) caused by occlusion of the subdiaphragmatic inferior vena cava (IVC). It describes the experimental and clinical evaluation of the treatment of this disorder by one-stage combined portal and vena caval decompression with a direct side-to-side portacaval shunt (PCS) and a caval-atrial shunt (CAS) graft. BCS was produced in rats by gradual occlusion of the suprahepatic IVC with an ameroid constrictor. When ascites and portal hypertension were established, 12 control rats survived a sham thoracolaparotomy, 16 rats survived a mesoatrial shunt, and 16 rats survived combined PCS and CAS graft. All control rats re-formed ascites and died within 2 months. Nine of 16 rats with mesoatrial shunt developed graft thrombosis, re-formed ascites, and died within 2 months. In contrast, only 2 of 16 rats that underwent combined PCS and CAS developed graft thrombosis, re-formed ascites, and died. Liver biopsies showed reversal of severe pathologic changes in rats with patent grafts. Clinical evaluation of combined PCS and CAS using a 20-mm ring-reinforced Gore-Tex graft has been undertaken in five patients with BCS and ascites, hepatosplenomegaly, intense hepatic congestion on biopsy, and angiography showing occlusion of both the IVC and hepatic veins. All five patients are alive and well 6 months to 7.5 years postoperatively with patent grafts, no ascites or need for diuretics, no encephalopathy, normal liver function, and reversal of liver pathology. It is concluded that combined PCS and CAS create a high-flow shunt that decompresses both the portal system and IVC, has a low incidence of graft thrombosis, has been consistently effective in relieving BCS caused by IVC occlusion, and appears to be superior to mesoatrial shunt.

Reversal of diabetic somatic neuropathy by whole-pancreas transplantation

To answer the crucial question regarding reversibility of diabetic somatic neuropathy by whole-pancreas transplantation, metabolic studies and electron microscopic morphometry of the sciatic and testicular nerves were performed monthly for 2 years in three groups of highly inbred rats: (1) NC, 47 nondiabetic controls; (2) DC, 90 untreated alloxan-induced diabetic controls; and (3) DT, 230 diabetic rats given syngeneic pancreaticoduodenal transplants 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, and 21 months after induction of diabetes mellitus (DM). Six diabetic nerve lesions were quantitated by a "blind" protocol: (1) loss of myelinated axons, (2) intraaxonal glycogen deposits, (3) axons with glycogen deposits, (4) demyelinated axons, (5) degenerating axons, and (6) loss of intact axoglial junctions in paranodal terminal myelin loops. In the DT group, testicular nerve specimens were obtained just before transplantation and at death so that each animal served as its own control. As we have observed previously in untreated diabetic controls, all six nerve lesions progressed relentlessly for 2 years, in contrast to nondiabetic controls (p less than 0.01). Whole-pancreas transplants produced complete metabolic control of DM for life and reversed all six lesions in both sciatic and testicular nerves, even when done late in the course of DM. There was complete reversal of the nerve lesions when pancreatic transplantation was done within 15 months of the onset of DM. These results provide the first demonstration of reversal of diabetic somatic neuropathy by any form of DM therapy and extend our previous work in which whole-pancreas transplants were found to prevent both diabetic neuropathy and nephropathy and reverse mesangial enlargement in the kidney.

Long term results of treatment of Budd-Chiari syndrome by side to side portacaval shunt

This is a report of a long term prospective study of 13 seriously ill patients with Budd-Chiari syndrome as a result of occlusion of the hepatic veins who were treated by side to side portacaval shunt from four to 78 weeks after the onset of symptoms and who were under observation for three to 16 years. The patient population was young, ranging in age from 19 to 45 years; seven were men and six were women. The presumed cause was the use of oral contraceptives in three, polycythemia rubra vera in two, Behcet disease in one patient and unknown in seven patients. All of the 13 patients had abdominal pain, marked ascites, hepatosplenomegaly, wasting and disturbed liver function. Diagnosis was based on the symptoms and signs: angiographic demonstration of hepatic vein occlusion and a patent inferior vena cava; pressure measurements that showed an inferior vena caval pressure that was normal or within the usual range for patients with massive ascites and an elevated wedged hepatic vein pressure that was much higher than the inferior vena caval pressure, and the results of biopsy of the liver showing centrilobular congestion and necrosis. Side to side portacaval shunt was very effective in decompressing the liver, reducing the mean corrected portal pressure from 240 millimeters of saline solution before to 7 millimeters of saline solution after the shunt. Operative survival rate was 92 per cent, and the long term survival rate for three to 16 years is 85 per cent. All of the survivors are free of ascites without requiring diuretic therapy.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Effect of pancreas transplantation on diabetic somatic neuropathy

To determine whether pancreas transplantation is capable of preventing diabetic somatic neuropathy, metabolic studies and electron microscopic morphometry of the sciatic nerve were performed monthly for 2 years in four groups of highly inbred rats: (1) NC-28 nondiabetic controls; (2) DC-82 untreated alloxan-diabetic controls; (3) WPT-122 diabetic rats that received a syngeneic whole-pancreas transplant; and (4) IT-90 diabetic rats that received intraportal injections of 1500 to 2000 syngeneic pancreatic islets. Five diabetic nerve lesions were quantitated by a "blind" protocol: intra-axonal glycogen deposits, axons with glycogen deposits, demyelinated axons, intact axoglial junctions in paranodal terminal myelin loops, and basal lamina thickness of vasa nervorum. Untreated diabetic control animals had significant and progressive increases in all five nerve lesions compared to nondiabetic controls (p less than 0.01). Whole pancreas transplants produced precise metabolic control of diabetes and prevented development and progression of all five diabetic nerve lesions throughout the 2-year study period. Pancreatic islet transplantation produced strict metabolic control and prevented diabetic neuropathy for the first 6 months, but then diabetes recurred and nerve lesions that were similar in severity to those in untreated diabetic rats developed. The finding that whole pancreas transplantation prevents diabetic somatic neuropathy adds to and extends our previous studies showing that whole-pancreas transplants prevent diabetic nephropathy.

Comparison of the metabolic control of diabetes achieved by whole pancreas transplantation and pancreatic islet transplantation in rats

To compare the long-term effectiveness of whole pancreas transplantation and pancreatic islet transplantation in controlling the metabolic disorders of alloxan diabetes, metabolic studies were performed monthly for 2 years in 4 groups of highly inbred rats: (1) NC-116 nondiabetic controls; (2) DC-273 untreated alloxan-diabetic controls; (3) PDT-182 rats that received syngeneic pancreaticoduodenal transplants shortly after induction of diabetes with alloxan; and (4) IT-92 rats that received an intraportal injection of at least 1500, but usually 2000, syngeneic pancreatic islets shortly after induction of diabetes with alloxan. Whole pancreas transplantation maintained strict metabolic control throughout the 2 years of study. In group PDT, hyperglycemia was abolished; plasma glucose concentration was maintained tightly within the normal range; markedly depressed plasma insulin levels were raised to above normal; glucose tolerance tests had insulin levels above normal and glucose levels that increased less and declined more rapidly than normal; and body weight gain and growth approached normal. In contrast, pancreatic islet transplantation failed to maintain precise metabolic control. In group IT, plasma glucose concentration initially fell to normal but then was elevated significantly above normal beginning with the 3rd posttransplant month; plasma insulin level declined progressively after the 6th posttransplant month; glucose tolerance tests had a diabetic glucose tolerance curve as a result of a markedly deficient plasma insulin response; and body weight gain and growth were significantly less than in group PDT. The results of these long-term metabolic studies may explain the effectiveness of whole pancreas transplantation and the ineffectiveness of pancreatic islet transplantation in preventing diabetic nephropathy.

Hyperparathyroidism, cirrhosis, and portacaval shunt. A new clinical syndrome

This is a report of six patients with cirrhosis of the liver in whom primary hyperparathyroidism occurred due to a solitary parathyroid adenoma 3 months to 9 years after undergoing emergency portacaval shunt for hemorrhage from esophageal varices. The presenting symptoms in all six patients were weakness and bone pain. Three patients had a bone fracture after insignificant trauma, one and probably two passed kidney stones, and a duodenal ulcer developed in two. Bone x-ray films showed generalized osteoporosis in all patients. Renal function and arterial blood pH were within normal limits in every patient. The diagnosis of primary hyperparathyroidism in each patient was based on repeated demonstrations of hypercalcemia, hypophosphatemia, and markedly elevated serum immunoreactive parathyroid hormone concentrations. In all six patients, removal of the parathyroid adenoma resulted in disappearance of symptoms; normalization of serum calcium, phosphorus, and immunoreactive parathyroid hormone levels; and in four of the six, improvement in radiographic evidence of osteoporosis during follow-up of from 1 to 6 years. The association of cirrhosis, portacaval shunt, and primary hyperparathyroidism has not been documented previously. Our six patients with primary hyperparathyroidism constitute 3.4 percent of 174 survivors of emergency portacaval shunt in a series of 264 unselected, consecutive patients with cirrhosis and bleeding esophageal varices. Hepatic osteodystrophy is known to have occurred in only 11 of these 174 survivors. Primary hyperparathyroidism may be a more common cause of hepatic osteodystrophy than has been previously recognized, and should be considered in patients with cirrhosis in whom weakness, bone pain, and bone demineralization develop, particularly if they have a portacaval anastomosis.

Comparison of whole pancreas and pancreatic islet transplantation in controlling nephropathy and metabolic disorders of diabetes

To compare the long-term effectiveness of whole pancreas transplantation and pancreatic islet transplantation in controlling the metabolic disorders and preventing the kidney lesions of alloxan diabetes, metabolic and morphologic studies were performed in four groups of rats: (1) NC-116 nondiabetic controls; (2) DC-273 untreated alloxan-diabetic controls; (3) PDT-182 rats that received syngeneic pancreaticoduodenal transplants not long after induction of diabetes with alloxan; and (4) IT-92 rats that received an intraportal injection of at least 1500 and usually 2000 syngeneic pancreatic islets soon after induction of diabetes with alloxan. Each month for 24 months after diabetes was well established, body weight and plasma concentrations of glucose and insulin were measured, and five lesions were scored by light microscopy in 50 glomeruli and related tubules in each kidney by a "blind" protocol: glomerular basement membrane thickening, mesangial enlargement, Bowman's capsule thickening, Armanni-Ebstein lesions of the tubules, and tubular protein casts. There were progressive and highly significant increases in the incidence and severity of all five kidney lesions in the diabetic control rats compared with the nondiabetic control rats. No significant differences were found between the kidneys of Group PDT and those of Group NC, demonstrating that whole pancreas transplantation prevented all of the diabetic kidney lesions throughout the 2-year study period. In contrast, within 3-9 months after pancreatic islet transplantation and thereafter, the incidence and severity of the five diabetic kidney lesions were similar in Group IT and Group DC. Whole pancreas transplantation produced precise metabolic control of diabetes throughout the 24 months of study, whereas pancreatic islet transplantation did not accomplish complete metabolic control, particularly beyond the first several months after transplantation. The difference in the completeness of metabolic control achieved by the two types of transplants is the most likely explanation for their sharp difference in effectiveness in preventing diabetic nephropathy.

Lifelong reversal of the metabolic abnormalities of advanced diabetes in rats by whole-pancreas transplantation

Evidence suggests that metabolic abnormalities are responsible for the widespread microvascular complications of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM). Interest in endocrine pancreas replacement therapy, including pancreas transplantation, is based on the hope that such treatment will reverse the complications of IDDM by providing more precise metabolic control than conventional therapy. To determine if whole pancreas transplantation is capable of reversing well-established metabolic abnormalities of diabetes mellitus (DM) and maintaining strict metabolic control for life, we performed monthly metabolic studies for 2 years in 141 nondiabetic control rats, 273 diabetic control rats with alloxan-induced DM, and 267 diabetic rats that received syngeneic whole pancreaticoduodenal transplants 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, and 21 months after induction of DM with alloxan. Whole-pancreas transplantation in rats with long-standing DM permanently reversed the metabolic disorders. Elevated plasma glucose concentrations were permanently reduced to normal, depressed plasma insulin levels were permanently increased to normal, elevations of BUN and serum creatinine were permanently normalized, and there was a striking gain in body weight. Hyperglycemia during glucose tolerance tests was of lesser magnitude and shorter duration than normal, as a result of greater-than-normal plasma insulin levels. The only abnormality that persisted was hyperglucagonemia, but it did not interfere with control of hyperglycemia and is of unknown significance. These results indicate that whole-pancreas transplantation produces the most complete and sustained correction of the metabolic abnormalities of experimental DM of any available therapeutic modality.

Reversal of mesangial enlargement in rats with long-standing diabetes by whole pancreas transplantation

An important unanswered question about clinical use of pancreas transplantation is: can pancreas transplants reverse or, at least, stabilize well-established lesions of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM)? To answer this question, we performed whole pancreas transplantations in 190 highly inbred rats 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, and 21 mo after induction of diabetes mellitus (DM) with alloxan. We then studied the effect on renal mesangial enlargement (ME) for 24 mo after onset of DM by a quantitative morphologic technique in which camera lucida tracings of the mesangium were made at X 1250 and were analyzed using an electronic planimeter connected to a calculator/computer. A pretransplant kidney biopsy was obtained so that the rats served as their own controls. In addition, studies were performed for 28 mo in 57 untreated diabetic controls and in 55 nondiabetic controls. Monthly metabolic studies showed that whole pancreas transplantation maintained very tight, lifelong metabolic control of diabetes. Kidney sections obtained for 2 yr from diabetic controls and for 21 mo from diabetic rats before transplantation showed highly significant increases in total mesangial area, nuclear-free mesangial area, and percentage of glomerular area occupied by nuclear-free mesangial area. Pancreas transplantation consistently produced a highly significant reversal of well-established ME, regardless of when it was performed.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Long-term survival after emergency portacaval shunting for bleeding varices in patients with alcoholic cirrhosis

Since 1963, a prospective evaluation of the emergency portacaval shunt procedure has been conducted in 264 unselected patients with cirrhosis and bleeding varices who underwent operation within 8 hours of admission to the emergency department. Of 153 patients who underwent operation 10 or more years ago, 45 (29 percent) have survived from 10 to 22 years and their current status is known. On admission, 40 percent of the long-term survivors had jaundice, 44 percent had ascites, 13 percent had encephalopathy (with an additional 9 percent with a history of encephalopathy), 29 percent had severe muscle wasting, and 82 percent had a hyperdynamic state. There were 9 Child's class A patients, 33 Child's class B patients, and 3 Child's class C patients. At operation, all patients had portal hypertension which was reduced by the shunt to a mean corrected free portal pressure of 18 mm saline solution. The emergency portacaval shunt procedure permanently controlled variceal bleeding. None of the patients bled again from varices, and the shunt remained patent throughout life in every patient. Encephalopathy did not affect 91 percent of the patients, but was a recurrent problem in 9 percent, usually related to the use of alcohol. Lifelong abstinence from alcohol occurred in 58 percent of the long-term survivors, but 11 percent resumed regular drinking and 31 percent consumed alcohol occasionally. Liver function declined compared with preoperative function in only 18 percent of the patients, almost always because of alcohol use. Ten years after operation, 73 percent of the patients were in excellent or good condition, and 68 percent were gainfully employed or engaged in full-time housework. Comparison of the 10 to 22 year survivors with our early group of 180 patients reported previously and our recent group of 84 patients showed no significant differences in preoperative or operative data. The single factor that appeared to influence long-term survival was resumption of regular use of alcohol. We conclude that the emergency portacaval shunt procedure, by preventing hemorrhage from varices, results in prolonged survival and an acceptable quality of life for a substantial number of patients with advanced alcoholic cirrhosis.

Quantitative morphological studies of aging changes in the kidney of the Lewis rat

Spontaneous aging changes in the kidneys of the rat have been previously described. In the Lewis strain, we performed semiquantitative studies of kidney histology and quantitative studies of glomerular basement membrane thickness and mesangial area in animals aged 6-30 months. There is a progressive increase in glomerular basement membrane thickness and mesangial area throughout the life of the rat. Spontaneous glomerulosclerosis in the Lewis rat does not appear to be as extensive as in other strains. The importance of spontaneous glomerulosclerosis in studies of induced kidney disease is emphasized.

Outcome in cirrhotic patients with acute alcoholic hepatitis after emergency portacaval shunt for bleeding esophageal varices

Operative liver biopsy findings were reviewed in 164 consecutive, unselected patients with alcoholic cirrhosis who had bleeding from esophageal varices and underwent emergency portacaval shunt. The survival rate up to 10 years in 49 patients with acute alcoholic hepatitis and alcoholic cirrhosis was not significantly different from that of patients with alcoholic cirrhosis alone. The two groups of patients were compared with respect to 35 other preoperative clinical and laboratory variables, and no other difference between the groups was found that obscured an adverse effect of acute alcoholic hepatitis on survival. We have concluded that acute alcoholic hepatitis and the presence of Mallory bodies in the liver are not a contraindication to portacaval shunt and that there is currently no demonstrated role for preoperative liver biopsy in the evaluation of patients with alcoholic cirrhosis and bleeding esophageal varices.

Vasovasostomy in the rat. Improved technique using absorbable microsuture (polyglycolic acid)

An improved technique for vasovasostomy in the rat is presented. To eliminate the suture crowds that could cause obstruction of the vasal lumen, one deep raw suture technique had been employed using polyglycolic acid (Dexon) microsuture. A total of 62 vasal anastomoses in 48 male Lewis rats was performed, and follow-up to twelve months found no disruption or constriction at the anastomoses. Despite occasional sperm granuloma formation at the anastomotic sites, all anastomoses demonstrated patency. Dexon appears to be suitable for genitourinary tract surgery, at least, in the rat.

A simplified model for heterotopic rat heart transplantation

A technique for simplified heterotopic rat heart transplantation having only aorto-aortic anastomosis is presented. The heterotopic rt heart survives and functions well when one lung lobe is attached t the transplantation and functions as a reservoir. Iso- and allotransplants are compared by electrocardiogram (ECG) determination and histological examination. Isotransplants exhibited normal heart and lung throughout the 6-month observation period. allotransplants ceased to function by the 16th postoperative day, with the cessation of palpable heart beat over the abdominal wall by the 10th postoperative day. This simplified heterotopic rat heart transplantation model can be operated by nonsurgeons in an unhurried manner with minimal training in microvascular surgery, and can be applied to various transplantation immunological studies.

Correlation of hepatic and portal wedged venography and manometry with histology in alcoholic cirrhosis and periportal fibrosis

Histologic, manometric, and direct magnification venographic studies of four patients with portal fibrosis and 10 patients with alcoholic cirrhosis were compared before and for variable periods after portacaval shunt procedures. Unique to this investigation was the availability of postoperative wedged portal vein manometry and venography. In periportal fibrosis (presinusoidal obstruction), portal studies demonstrated portal venular atrophy and occlusions, with egress of contrast material from hepatic sinusoids via hepatic veins; hepatic studies were near normal. The reverse was observed in patients with cirrhosis (postsinusoidal obstruction). The degree of elevation of portal vein pressures did not enable clear discrimination of pre- and postsinusoidal obstruction. Results support classical concepts of pre-and postsinusoidal obstructive disease and confirm the utility of wedge hepatic and portal venography in differentiating these two entities.

Clonidine and lidamidine to inhibit watery diarrhea in a patient with lung cancer

A patient with watery diarrhea syndrome secondary to bronchogenic carcinoma responded to treatment with clonidine and lidamidine. Stool weight decreased to 43% and 53% of control on two separate trials of clonidine. Stool weight decreased to 35% of control during a trial of lidamidine. Both clonidine and lidamidine increased sodium and chloride absorption in vitro in human intestine. Clonidine, lidamidine, or drugs that are structurally similar may become therapeutic choices for secretory diarrhea.

Prospective study of portasystemic encephalopathy after emergency portacaval shunt for bleeding varices

A prospective study of the development of encephalopathy was undertaken in 180 patients undergoing emergency portacaval shunt for bleeding esophageal varices between 1963 and 1978. The incidence of preoperative encephalopathy was 32 percent. Postoperatively, encephalopathy developed in 31.5 percent of 95 survivors and was severe in 7 percent of those survivors. Encephalopathy developed in most patients in the first and second follow-up years; in 10 year survivors, encephalopathy was virtually absent. Encephalopathy was more likely to occur in patients with encephalopathy at the time of shunt and in those who returned to alcoholism after shunt. Most encephalopathic episodes were precipitated by dietary indiscretion, often associated with alcoholism. Careful follow-up with attention to dietary compliance and abstinence from alcohol should make the risk of encephalopathy acceptable in relation to the unquestionable benefits of portacaval shunt in reducing the risk of variceal hemorrhage.

Long-term results of emergency portacaval shunt for bleeding esophageal varices in unselected patients with alcoholic cirrhosis

A prospective evaluation of emergency protacaval shunt has been conducted in 180 unselected, consecutive patients with cirrhosis and bleeding varices who were operated on between 1963 and 1978. An extensive diagnostic work-up was completed within three to seven hours of admission to the emergency department, and the shunt operation was undertaken within a mean of 7.81 hours. A program of lifelong follow-up was conducted such that the current status of 97% of the patients is known. On each patient, 220 categories of data were collected and entered into a computer program for analysis. On admission, 49% of the patients had jaundice, 53% had ascites, 19% had encephalopathy, 30% had severe muscle wasting and 100% had abnormal BSP retention. Administration of a bolus dose of vasopressin by the systemic intravenous route temporarily controlled the varix hemorrhage in 95% of patients, and emergency shunt permanently controlled the bleeding in 98%. Maximum perfusion pressure in the portal vein prior to shunt did not correlate with survival rate or incidence of encephalopathy after shunt. The operative survival rate was 58%, the five-year actuarial survival rate is 38% and the 12-year actuarial survival rate is 30%. Encephalopathy was observed in 31.5% of the patients, but was severe enough to require chronic dietary protein restriction in only 7%. The portacaval shunt remained patent in 99% of patients. Of the survivors, 48% abstained from alcohol, 60% resumed gainful employment or housekeeping, and two-thirds were judged to be in excellent or good condition after one and five years. Preoperative factors that adversely influenced survival rate were ascites, SGOT >/= 100 units, BSP retention >50%, hypokalemic alkalosis, blood transfusion requirement >/= 5 L, and consumption of alcohol within seven day[unk] of admission. In comparison with our previous prospective studies, emergency portacaval shunt produced a significantly greater long-term survival rate than either emergency medical therapy or emergency varix ligation, followed by elective shunt. During the past four years, 80% of 49 unselected patients have survived emergency shunt, and the four year actuarial survival rate is 69%.

A review of vascular anastomosis with mechanical aids and nonsuture techniques

Devices and techniques for nonsuture vascular anastomosis and for suture anastomosis with minimum blood flow interruption are reviewed from their beginnings in the late 19th century through the development of microvascular surgery in the 20th century. The various devices that have been invented fall into 3 basic categories: butt, flanged, and lapped joints. Although the development of microsurgical instruments and the improvement of suture materials have diminished the use of such mechanical aids in recent years, it is hoped that this historical overview will be of interest to investigators involved in the surgery of vessels of various calibers.

Prevention by whole pancreas transplantation of glomerular basement membrane thickening in alloxan diabetes

Serial thickness measurements of the glomerular basement membrane were performed over a 24-month period in four groups of inbred male Lewis rats. Group I consisted of normal animals age-matched to the remaining experimental groups. In groups II, III, and IV, diabetes was induced by intravenous alloxan (42 to 44 mg/kg). Group II was subsequently untreated. One week after induction of diabetes, groups III and IV received vascularized isografts of the pancreas and duodenum or duct-ligated pancreas alone, respectively. Animals in all groups were killed monthly and X 11,000 electron photomicrographs prepared of the kidney. The thickness of the glomerular basement membrane was measured by a quantitative morphometric technique. Untreated diabetic animals developed significant thickening of the basement membrane when compared to normal animals and the differences remained significant throughout life. Animals undergoing pancreas transplantation were completely protected from the diabetic changes in the basement membrane and showed no increase in basement membrane thickness when compared to normal animals. Pancreaticoduodenal and duct-ligated isografts offered equal protection against changes in the basement membrane. All groups showed age-related thickening of the basement membrane; this change was accelerated in the untreated diabetic group and normalized in the transplanted rats.

The effect of hepatic interposition on ovary-pituitary interaction

When the livers of female rats were provided with exclusive first access to all ovarian venous effluents by simultaneous castration and implantation of a portion of one of the ovaries beneath the splenic capsule, systemic venous plasma concentrations of estrone and estradiol were reduced 40%. Paradoxically, progestins in the peripheral plasma increased threefold, most probably because of augmented adrenocortical progestin secretion. Nevertheless, the change in estrogen levels alone was sufficient to abolish trophic effects on the genital organs and to block normal inhibition of pituitary gonadotropin secretion. Plasma gonadotropin concentrations were markedly elevated to levels comparable to those of castrates, and, as a result, the intrasplenic ovarian implants grew excessively and became histologically disorganized. A patent portacaval shunt negated the entire process, providing proof that the measured hormonal alterations and the change in the implant itself were direct consequences of hepatic screening.

An improved microsurgical clamp and stay suture retractor for use in vascular surgery in rats

Microsurgical procedures require the use of a variety of expensive precision instruments. This expense can be a problem for surgeons working in surgical research laboratories. To help combat rising expenses in our laboratory, we developed a new microsurgical vascular clamp and a new stay suture retractor for use in experimental surgery in rats. These instruments are inexpensive, can be manufactured in any medical machine shop, and have proved to be efficient and effective in surgical procedures.