Living Donor-Initiated Domino Split-Liver Transplantation in Pediatric Setup: A Case Report With Literature Review

BACKGROUND

In patients undergoing liver transplantation for metabolic diseases, removing the patient's liver for transplantation to another recipient is called "domino liver transplantation." The extracted liver can be divided and transplanted into 2 recipients, which is called domino split-liver transplantation in the literature. However, in our study, the domino liver was obtained from a pediatric patient.

METHODS

A patient with maple syrup urine disease (MSUD) underwent a living donor liver transplant, and the explanted liver was divided in situ into right and left lobes and transplanted to 2 separate patients. Demographic data, surgical techniques, postoperative period, and patient follow-ups were evaluated.

RESULTS

The father's left lobe liver graft was transplanted into a 12-year-old boy with MSUD. The removed liver was divided in situ into right and left lobes. The left lobe was transplanted to a 14-year-old male patient, whereas the right lobe was transplanted to a 67-year-old male patient. The donor and the first recipient were discharged on postoperative days 5 and 22. The second pediatric patient who underwent domino split-left lobe transplantation was discharged on postoperative day 23. The adult patient who underwent domino split-right lobe transplantation died on postoperative day 12 owing to massive esophageal variceal bleeding.

CONCLUSION

Patients who underwent liver transplantation due to MSUD are among the best donor choices for domino liver transplantation. If the extracted liver has a sufficient volume and anatomic features for a split, it can be used in "selected cases."

Prevention and acute management of biliary injuries during laparoscopic cholecystectomy: Expert consensus statement

Gallstone disease is very common and laparoscopic cholecystectomy is one of the most common surgical procedures all over the world. Parallel to the increase in the number of laparoscopic cholecystectomies, bile duct injuries also increased. The reported incidence of bile duct injuries ranges from 0.3% to 1.4%. Many of the bile duct injuries during laparoscopic cholecystectomy are not due to inexperience, but are the result of basic technical failures and misinterpretations. A working group of expert hepatopancreatobiliary surgeons, an endoscopist, and a specialist of forensic medicine study searched and analyzed the publications on safe cholecystectomy and biliary injuries complicating laparoscopic cholecystectomy under the organization of Turkish Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery Association. After a series of e-mail communications and two conferences, the expert panel developed consensus statements for safe cholecystectomy, management of biliary injuries and medicolegal issues. The panel concluded that iatrogenic biliary injury is an overwhelming complication of laparoscopic cholecystectomy and an important issue in malpractice claims. Misidentification of the biliary system is the major cause of biliary injuries. To avoid this, the "critical view of safety" technique should be employed in all the cases. If biliary injury is identified intraoperatively, reconstruction should only be performed by experienced hepatobiliary surgeons. In the postoperative period, any deviation from the expected clinical course of recovery should alert the surgeon about the possibility of biliary injury.

Intrahepatic biliary cystic neoplasms: Surgical results of 9 patients and literature review

AIM: To investigate the eligible management of the cystic neplasms of the liver.

METHODS: The charts of 9 patients who underwent surgery for intrahepatic biliary cystic liver neoplasms between 2003 and 2008 were reviewed retrospectively. Informed consent was obtained from the patients and approval was obtained from the designated review board of the institution.

RESULTS: All patients were female with a median (range) age of 49 (27-60 years). The most frequent symptom was abdominal pain in 6 of the patients. Four patients had undergone previous laparotomy (with other diagnoses) which resulted in incomplete surgery or recurrences. Liver resection (n = 6) or enucleation (n = 3) was performed. The final diagnosis was intrahepatic biliary cystadenoma in 8 patients and cystadenocarcinoma in 1 patient. All symptoms resolved after surgery. There has been no recurrence during a median (range) 31 (7-72) mo of follow up.

CONCLUSION: In spite of the improvement in imaging modalities and increasing recognition of biliary cystadenoma and cystadenocarcinoma, accurate preoperative diagnosis may be difficult. Complete surgical removal (liver resection or enucleation) of these lesions yields satisfying long-term results.

Decreased neonatal tibial bone ultrasound velocity in term infants born after breech presentation

OBJECTIVE

Fetuses found to be in the breech presentation have limited motion of their lower limbs. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that bone speed of sound (SOS) would be lower in infants born after breech presentation than in those born after vertex presentation.

STUDY DESIGN

We studied 127 singleton, appropriate for gestational age, term infants delivered by a scheduled cesarean delivery at approximately 38 weeks of gestation because of breech presentation or repeat elective cesarean section with vertex presentation. We used the Sunlight Omnisense 7000p device to measure axially transmitted SOS of the right tibia within the first 96 h of life.

RESULT

Fifty-three infants studied (42%) were born by cesarean section after breech presentation compared to 74 vertex controls. Bone SOS was significantly lower in the breech presentation group, even after taking into account the effect of gender and parity (as well as gestational age at birth and birth weight).

CONCLUSION

Bone SOS is lower in infants born after breech presentation than in those born after vertex presentation. We speculate that limited motion of lower limbs in fetuses found to be in the breech presentation leads to a decrease in bone mineralization and strength.

Obstructive jaundice due to a textiloma mimicking a common bile duct stone

A foreign body is a rare cause of obstructive jaundice. We report a 19-year-old woman with jaundice caused by a surgical gauze in the common bile duct (CBD). Four yours earlier, she had undergone a cholecystectomy and drainage for hydatid disease of the liver. Her postoperative course was complicated by a biliary fistula that healed after 50 days. She now presented with obstructive jaundice of 2 weeks' duration. Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) showed a signal-void mass, consistent with a CBD stone. Surgical exploration of the CBD revealed a surgical gauze as the cause of the obstruction. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of a surgical gauze obstructing the CBD requiring surgical removal.

Inguinal cord lipomas

Fatty tissue within the internal cremasteric fascia is frequently encountered during hernia surgery, and it is called a cord lipoma in the surgical literature. Between 1997 and 2001, 128 consecutive patients with 139 indirect inguinal hernias, who underwent open repair, were evaluated. A total of 100 lipomas of the spermatic cord or round ligament were identified and resected in 92 patients. There were no reported neoplastic changes noted in histopathologic examinations of the specimens. The incidence of cord lipoma associated with indirect inguinal hernia was 72.5%. Average body mass index (BMI) was 25.7 in patients with lipoma and 24.6 in patients without lipoma ( P=0.048). The incidence of cord lipoma in large hernias (Nyhus Type II and IIIb) was higher in our patients ( P<0.005). It can be clearly seen during laparoscopic exploration of the preperitoneal space that cord lipoma is a continuation of extraperitoneal fat tissue. We believe that even if there is no peritoneal sac, the herniation of extraperitoneal fat through the inguinal canal should be counted as an inguinal hernia, and it requires treatment.

The transhepatic route for the placement of a duodenojejunal stent: application in a postoperative closed loop obstruction of the duodenum

A patient who had undergone gastric resection for carcinoma, had closed loop obstruction of the duodenum due to neoplasia at the duodenojejunal junction. The obstruction was relieved successfully by transhepatic placement of a duodenojejunal stent. We were compelled to use the transhepatic route because a Roux-Y reconstruction had been performed. Transhepatic placement may be the only chance of palliation in a small subset of patients with malignant intestinal obstruction.

A case of multiple synchronous localized fibrous tumor of the pleura

We report a patient with two synchronous distinct masses in the same hemithorax both of which got the diagnosis of benign localized fibrous tumor of the pleura. The plain chest X-ray was rather obscured due to a large left-sided pleural effusion, but her subsequent computerized chest tomography revealed a heterogeneous hypodense soft tissue mass, which was pleural in origin, sitting on the diaphragm bathed in fluid. At thoracotomy, we detected two distinct masses in the left hemithorax, both arising from the visceral pleura via their vascular pedicles.

Long-term results of surgery for liver hemangiomas

BACKGROUND

Elective surgery for liver hemangiomas is still controversial.

HYPOTHESIS

Long-term results show that elective surgery for liver hemangiomas is safe and effective.

SETTING

A tertiary care university hospital in Istanbul, Turkey.

PATIENTS

Forty-two patients underwent surgery for liver hemangiomas between January 1988 and December 1998; 41 were symptomatic. The primary indications for surgery were abdominal pain in 33 patients, diagnostic uncertainty in 6, and enlargement in 3. The median largest dimension of the major lesion was 10 cm (range, 7-45 cm).

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

(1) Patients' assessment of the effects of surgery on preoperative symptoms, (2) determination of whether any other pathological conditions were missed in the preoperative evaluation, (3) operative mortality and morbidity, and (4) recurrences.

DESIGN

Retrospective cohort study.

RESULTS

Enucleation was the most frequent operation (33 patients). Hospital mortality and morbidity were 2.4% (bleeding from the biopsy site on a lesion evaluated as inoperable at laparotomy; 1 patient) and 12% (5 patients), respectively. Thirty-three patients could be followed up for a median of 53 months (range, 6-135 months). Of the 32 preoperatively symptomatic patients, surgery was successful in symptom control in 28 (88%) (complete resolution or significant amelioration). No other cause of pain could be identified during follow-up in the other patients. Control ultrasonography revealed no recurrences.

CONCLUSIONS

Elective surgery is indicated in a small subset of patients with hemangiomas because of abdominal pain, enlargement, and diagnostic uncertainty. The results of surgery in symptom control are gratifying in approximately 90% of patients. Recurrences are rare. Enucleation can be performed rapidly and safely in most patients and should be preferred to resection.

Primary lymphoma of the liver: report of a case

We describe herein a female patient with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of the liver and present a review of the related literature. The patient was referred with the diagnosis of malignant hemangiopericytoma (with an open biopsy). The physical examination, standard laboratory test results and tumor marker levels were all normal. A nonstandard left lobectomy was performed. Histopathological and immunohistochemical examinations revealed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of B-cell type. The findings of a peripheral blood smear and bone marrow biopsy were normal. There was no other site of involvement based on physical or radiological examinations. These findings established the diagnosis of primary hepatic lymphoma. Fewer than 100 cases have been reported in the world literature. The best treatment results have been obtained by a resection followed by chemotherapy when feasible.

Neurogenic tumours of the mediastinum: a report of 60 cases

OBJECTIVES

To analyze retrospectively 60 patients (13 infants and children, 47 adults--21 men and 39 women) with mediastinal neurogenic tumours admitted to Atatürk Centre for Chest Disease and Chest Surgery, Ankara, Turkey between 1988 and 1999. This comprised 21.2% of 283 patients who had surgical operations for all mediastinal masses during the same period.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The patients ranged from four to 67 years of age. Thirteen patients were younger than 15 years and 47 were 15 years of age or older. Medical records were reviewed for demographic data, clinical presentation, diagnostic investigations, operative procedures, and tumour location and invasion. Postoperative morbidity and mortality were noted as well as long term follow-up. The clinical investigations included chest x-ray and computed tomography of the thorax in all patients, and spinal magnetic resonance imaging and bronchoscopical examination in some. Clinical variables were compared.

RESULTS

The tumours had the following characteristics: 42 (70%) were nerve sheath tumours; 15 (25%) were autonomic ganglion tumours; two (3.6%) were paragangliomas; and one (1.4%) was a malignant peripheral neuroectodermal tumour (Askin's tumour). Nerve cell tumours comprised the majority of tumours in infants and children (nine of 13, 69%), whereas the nerve sheath tumours were most frequent in adults (39 of 47, 83%). There were 48 benign and 12 (20%) malignant tumours when all age groups were considered; the malignancy rate was 61.5% (eight of 13) in children and 8.5% (four of 47, P<0.05) in adults. All patients were operated via a posterolateral thoracotomy. Surgical resection of the tumour was complete in 56 of 60 patients (93.3%). Resection of malignant tumours was grossly incomplete in four cases (four of 12, 33.3%). All benign tumours were totally excised. There were two major complications (respiratory failure and pulmonary emboli) and 14 minor complications in the perioperative period. The mean follow-up period was five years and seven months. Tumours recurred in 5.3% (three of 56) of patients who had a complete resection initially. There were no late deaths related to benign tumours.

CONCLUSIONS

Complete resection of tumours can be performed safely by a thoracotomy approach and is important for achieving satisfactory long term survival in most mediastinal neurogenic tumours.

Mesoatrial shunt in Budd-Chiari syndrome

BACKGROUND

The operations with proven effects on survival in Budd-Chiari syndrome are shunt operations and liver transplantation.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Between 1993 and 1999 (June), 13 cases of Budd-Chiari syndrome have been treated surgically. Four cases had concomitant thrombosis of the inferior vena cava; the others had marked narrowing of the lumen due to the enlarged caudate lobe. Mesoatrial (n = 12) or mesosuperior vena caval (n = 1) shunts were constructed with ringed polytetrafluoroethylene grafts.

RESULTS

The median portal pressure fell from 45 (range 32 to 55) to 20 (range 11 to 27) cm H(2)O (P <0.001). Two patients died in the early postoperative period. One patient who did not comply with anticoagulant treatment had a shunt thrombosis in the second postoperative year. The other 10 patients are alive without problems during a median 42 (range 1 to 76) months of follow-up.

CONCLUSION

Mesoatrial shunt with a ringed polytetrafluoroethylene graft is effective in Budd-Chiari syndrome cases with thrombosis or significant stenosis in the inferior vena cava.

Prescription drug use and self-prescription among resident physicians

CONTEXT

Self-prescription is common among practicing physicians, but little is known about the practice among resident physicians.

OBJECTIVE

To determine prescription drug use and self-prescription among US resident physicians.

DESIGN AND SETTING

Anonymous mail survey of all resident physicians in 4 US categorical internal medicine training programs in February 1997.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Self-reported use of health care services and prescription medications and how they were obtained.

RESULTS

A total of 316 (83%) of 381 residents responded; 244 residents (78%) reported using at least 1 prescription medicine and 162 residents (52%) reported self-prescribing medications. Twenty-five percent of all medications and 42% of self-prescribed medications were obtained from a sample cabinet; 7% of all medications and 11% of self-prescribed medications were obtained directly from a pharmaceutical company representative.

CONCLUSIONS

Self-prescription is common among resident physicians. Although self-prescription is difficult to evaluate, the source of these medications and the lack of oversight of medication use raise questions about the practice.

Elective repair of abdominal wall hernias in decompensated cirrhosis

BACKGROUND/AIMS

Abdominal wall hernia is a common feature of decompensated cirrhosis. However, literature on elective hernia repair in these patients is limited. Here we report the experience of our center.

METHODOLOGY

Eleven hernias (seven umbilical, three inguinal and one incisional) in nine patients with decompensated cirrhosis were repaired. The indication for operation was repeated incarceration in two patients and significant pain in four; three patients with umbilical hernias had ulceration and necrosis of the overlying skin. Pre-operatively, medical therapy of ascites was conducted at the hepatology unit. Umbilical hernias were treated with the classic Mayo repair; in all cases but two, this was buttressed with a prolene graft. One inguinal hernia was repaired with the plication-darn technique; the other two and the incisional hernia were repaired with prolene grafts.

RESULTS

There was no mortality. One patient had a scrotal hematoma; two patients had leakage of ascites into the wound. Seven patients were followed up. Four patients died without recurrence after a median period of 12 months (range 6-22). The other patients have no recurrence at 1, 10 and 40 months post-operatively.

CONCLUSIONS

Umbilical and inguinal hernias in patients with decompensated cirrhosis may be repaired safely on an elective basis. Control of ascites is vital for success.

Endoscopic sphincterotomy in the treatment of postoperative biliary fistulas of hepatic hydatid disease

BACKGROUND

Ten patients with postoperative external biliary fistula treated by endoscopic sphincterotomy are reported.

METHODS

Nine of these patients were operated for hepatic hydatid disease and one for a liver abscess. Mean daily output of bile through the fistulae which were present for 5-39 days was approximately 500 cc.

RESULTS

Treatment was successful in nine patients with closure of the fistulae in 2-15 days (mean, 7 days). No response was obtained in one patient who was reoperated, and an intrahepatic biliary duct was found to be completely eroded by the cyst wall.

CONCLUSIONS

Endoscopic sphincterotomy should be the first-line treatment for postoperative external biliary fistulae related to hepatic hydatid disease.

Liver hamartoma in an adult: report of a rare case

Liver hamartoma is a rare type of benign tumor which usually occurs in the first few years of life. Although it is the second most common benign tumor in childhood, only about 100 cases have been reported in the English literature. Thus, it is extremely rare to encounter liver hamartoma in adults. This report details the clinical presentation and surgical management of a 24-year-old woman with a rapidly growing liver hamartoma. A right hepatic lobectomy was successfully performed and the patient was discharged in good health on the 10th postoperative day.

Laparoscopic treatment of hepatic hydatid disease

Surgery is still the main modality in the treatment of hepatic hydatid disease. Laparoscopic methods, with their low morbidity, have gained prominence in many fields and, in some cases, have nearly replaced open surgery. In this report, a laparoscopic method for the treatment of hepatic hydatid disease is described and the results in the first six cases are presented. The method involves the use of an aspirator-grinder apparatus designed specifically for laparoscopic surgery. The postoperative courses of the patients were very comfortable and no complication related to the laparoscopic technique occurred. The method achieves evacuation of all viable cyst contents with the patient benefits of laparoscopic surgery. The apparatus practically eliminates the risk of spillage. The postoperative parameters and the early follow-up results (21-27 months) are very encouraging.

Laparoscopic surgery of hepatic hydatid disease: initial results and early follow-up of 16 patients

Surgery is the main modality in the treatment of hepatic hydatid disease. In this report, a laparoscopic surgical method is described, and the results in the first 16 cases are presented. The method involves the use of an aspirator-grinder apparatus that achieves effective evacuation of viable cyst contents with the patient benefiting from the laparoscopic approach. Cavity infection occurred in two patients and was treated conservatively. In another patient, postoperative ultrasonography revealed a thick-walled cavity containing a dense fluid. Because the patient was symptomatic, pericystectomy was performed during the sixth postoperative month. Early postoperative parameters and the early follow-up results in other patients (2-17 months) are encouraging. The method is particularly suitable for uncomplicated, early-stage cysts located in laparoscopically accessible locations.

[Are devascularization-transsection operations in treatment of bleeding esophageal varices still indicated?]

Sugiura procedure and its modifications were performed in 43 patients who were not suitable for shunt surgery. Four types of devascularisation-transection procedures on the technical basis of Sugiura operation were carried out. Thirteen patients died in the early postoperative period. Highest mortality was recorded in the standard Sugiura procedure (4/8 or 50%) and the lowest in modified Sugiura III (1/7 or 14%) which is the simplest form of all. Mortality in the early postoperative period was higher in emergency procedures. No variceal hemorrhage and hepatic encephalopathy were recorded in the early postoperative period. Based on our experience in relatively limited number of cases, the Sugiura operation and its modifications are not advantageous in emergency conditions and patients with poor liver function. However, these procedures can be performed in Child A-B cases. Limiting the extent of the operation by modifications affects the outcome positively.

Purely cystic hydatid disease of the liver: treatment with percutaneous aspiration and injection of hypertonic saline

Percutaneous aspiration of purely cystic liver lesions was performed in 15 patients aged 11-56 years. After aspiration under guidance with computed tomography (CT) in 12 patients, a membrane that is diagnostic for hydatid disease was visible in the lumen of the cyst on CT scans. Hypertonic saline was injected in the cystic cavities of these patients as a scolecidal agent. No major complications occurred during or after the procedures. In the follow-up period of 6-16 months, control CT and ultrasound scans revealed a progressive decrease in the size of the lesions and no evidence of peritoneal seeding. It is concluded that percutaneous aspiration and hypertonic saline injection for purely cystic hydatid disease of the liver seem to be an effective form of treatment and may eventually prove to be an alternative to surgical intervention.

Primary solitary tuberculosis of the liver

Primary solitary tuberculous involvement of the liver is a rare condition. We present the case of a patient who was operated on with a preoperative diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma. Liver resection was performed and antituberculous therapy was started. It is difficult to make the correct diagnosis preoperatively except when a successful needle biopsy can be performed. Despite the rarity of the condition primary solitary tuberculosis should be considered among the space occupying lesions of the liver.

Villous tumors of the duodenum

Two patients with villous adenomas in the duodenum are described. These lesions have a predilection for the ampullary region, and tend to present with obstructive jaundice, especially if malignancy is present. The first patient, with a villous adenoma located at the ampulla of Vater, presented with jaundice and underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy at a second operation because of a high rate of false-negative biopsies. The second patient was admitted with partial mechanical obstruction symptoms and was treated by partial duodenectomy and antrectomy for a supraampullary villous adenoma, including in situ carcinoma.

Hydatid cysts of liver and portal hypertension

Two cases of portal hypertension due to hydatid cysts of the liver are reported. In one of the patients, symptoms were secondary to obstruction of inferior vena cava and hepatic outflow tract. The other patient was operated on with a diagnosis of extrahepatic presinusoidal portal hypertension caused by extrinsic compression of the liver by an hydatid cyst. Although hydatidosis is a benign disease, it can produce serious complications as in these reported cases. Therefore hydatidosis should be remembered amongst the causes of portal hypertension in countries where the disease is endemic.

Introflexion as a method of surgical treatment for hydatid disease

For the management of the residual cavity after removal of a hydatid cyst, several surgical methods have been suggested. To prevent the undesirable results of the previously suggested techniques, we have been using a new method called introflexion. This simple, safe and effective method has been described and discussed herein.

Treatment of liver hemangiomas by enucleation

Nine patients with hemangiomas of the liver were treated by enucleation between 1976 and 1985 at the Surgical Department of Istanbul (Turkey) Medical School. The tumors were removed by dissecting the plane between the capsule of the hemangioma and normal liver tissue. The diameters of the tumors ranged from 8 to 23 cm. There was no mortality and no massive bleeding. It is suggested that hemangiomas can be removed by an enucleation technique with low mortality and morbidity, rather than by liver resection.

Choledochoduodenostomy for intrabiliary rupture of hydatid cysts of liver

Frank intrabiliary rupture is an important complication of liver hydatid cysts and its incidence is between 5 and 25 per cent. The main principles of management are the surgical treatment of the cyst with removal of all cystic elements and drainage of the biliary tree. Accurate pre- and intra-operative diagnosis and permanent drainage of the biliary tree by a wide choledochoduodenostomy are important to reduce morbidity and mortality. In this report 28 cases of frank intrabiliary rupture of hydatid cysts treated by choledochoduodenostomy are presented.

Aging and the passage of L-tyrosine, L-DOPA, and inulin into mouse brain slices in vitro

The effect of age on active transport of catecholamine precursors was studied in a healthy population of mature (12-mo.-old) and senescent (30-mo.-old) C57BL/6J male mice. No age differences were observed in uptake of L-(3H)-tyrosine IN VITRO by slices of hypothalamus, brain stem, and striatum at external concentrations equal to or greater than blood levels. However, age-related reductions were observed intermittently in the hypothalamus, brain stem, and striatum at very low concentrations of tyrosine (less than 10 pg/ml). No age differences were observed in incorporation of L-(3H)-tyrosine into hypothalamic proteins when corrected for intracellular uptake of L-(3H)-tyrosine. No age differences were observed in uptake of L-(3H)-DOPA. The possible contribution of age-related changes in extra-cellular space to decreased uptake was determined to be negligible by wash-out studies of tyrosine and by the uptake of inulin. A significant age-related increase of inulin uptake IN VITRO was observed under ionic conditions which minimize tissue swelling.