Eduardo Jaurrieta

Resection or transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma in cirrhotic patients: outcomes based on indicated treatment strategy

BACKGROUND Surgical resection has been the treatment of choice for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but the resection rate remains low in cirrhotic patients and recurrence is common. Unfavorable results compared with benign disease and the shortage of organ donors have led to a restricted indication for orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) for HCC. STUDY DESIGN The aim of this study was to analyze the results of our surgical approach to HCC in patients with cirrhosis. The first treatment strategy indicated in these patients was OLT. From January 1990 to May 1999, 85 patients underwent OLT and the remaining 35 had surgical resection. RESULTS One-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates were 84%, 74%, and 60% versus 83%, 57%, and 51%, respectively, in the OLT and resection groups (p = 0.34). Hepatic tumor recurrence was much less frequent in the OLT group than in the resection group. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year disease-free survival rates were 83%, 72%, and 60% versus 70%, 44%, and 31%, respectively (p = 0.027). In the multivariate Cox regression analysis, macroscopic vascular invasion was the only factor independently associated with death or recurrence after OLT (p = 0.006). After partial liver resection, the tumors significantly associated with mortality and recurrence in the multivariate analysis were solitary or multiple tumors greater than 2cm with microscopic vascular invasion (pathologic pT3) (p = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS Our results confirm that in cirrhotic patients, OLT may provide better outcomes than liver resection in carefully selected HCC and that longterm survival is similar to the results of OLT in cirrhotic patients without tumors.

Spanish Experience in Liver Transplantation for Hilar and Peripheral Cholangiocarcinoma

Objective:To assess the real utility of orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) in patients with cholangiocarcinoma, we need series with large numbers of cases and long follow-ups. The aim of this paper is to review the Spanish experience in OLT for hilar and peripheral cholangiocarcinoma and to try to identify the prognostic factors that could influence survival. Summary Background Data:Palliative treatment of nondisseminated irresectable cholangiocarcinoma carries a zero 5-year survival rate. The role of OLT in these patients is controversial, due to the fact that the survival rate is lower than with other indications for transplantation and due to the lack of organs. Methods:We retrospectively reviewed 59 patients undergoing OLT in Spain for cholangiocarcinoma (36 hilar and 23 peripheral) over a period of 13 years. We present the results and prognostic factors that influence survival. Results:The actuarial survival rate for hilar cholangiocarcinoma at 1, 3, and 5 years was 82%, 53%, and 30%, and for peripheral cholangiocarcinoma 77%, 65%, and 42%. The main cause of death, with both types of cholangiocarcinoma, was tumor recurrence (present in 53% and 35% of patients, respectively). Poor prognosis factors were vascular invasion (P < 0.01) and IUAC classification stages III–IVA (P < 0.01) for hilar cholangiocarcinoma and perineural invasion (P < 0.05) and stages III-IVA (P < 0.05) for peripheral cholangiocarcinoma. Conclusions:OLT for nondisseminated irresectable cholangiocarcinoma has higher survival rates at 3 and 5 years than palliative treatments, especially with tumors in their initial stages, which means that more information is needed to help better select cholangiocarcinoma patients for transplantation.

A prognostic index of the survival of patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma after transcatheter arterial chemoembolization.

Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) has been used as a palliative treatment for patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but its prognostic usefulness has not previously been clarified.

The impact of donor age on liver transplantation: influence of donor age on early liver function and on subsequent patient and graft survival.

BACKGROUND The urgent need to increase the organ donor pool has led to the expansion of criteria for donor selection. The aim of this study was to analyze the influence of donor age on early graft function, subsequent graft loss, and mortality after liver transplantation (LT). METHODS Data on LT were evaluated retrospectively in a population-based cohort of 400 LTs in 348 patients. Of these, 21 (5%) were from donors >70 years old. Pretransplantation donor and recipient characteristics and the evolution of recipients were analyzed. The influence of donor age as a risk factor was assessed using univariate and multivariate analyses. RESULTS Actuarial graft survival was 89% at 1 month after LT, 81% after 6 months, and 59% after 60 months. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that only donor age (>70 years old) was associated with a higher risk of long-term graft loss (relative risk [RR]=1.4, 95% confidence interval [CI]=1-1.9; P=0.03) and mortality (RR=1.7, 95% CI=1.2-2.3; P=0.01). Graft survival of septuagenarian livers was 80% at 1 month after LT, 56% after 6 months, and 25% after 54 months. Actuarial survival analysis (Kaplan-Meier curves) also demonstrated worse evolution in recipients of livers from old donors (log-rank test, P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS Advanced donor age is associated with lower graft and recipient survival.

Large Bowel Obstruction: Predictive Factors for Postoperative Mortality

PURPOSEThe aims of this study were to assess the prognostic value for mortality of several factors in patients with colonic obstruction and to study the differences between proximal and distal obstruction.METHODSTwo-hundred and thirty-four consecutive patients who underwent emergency surgery for colonic obstruction were studied. Patients with an obstructive lesion distal to the splenic flexure were assessed as having a distal colonic obstruction. Resection and primary anastomosis was the operation of choice in selected patients. Alternative procedures were Hartmann’s procedure in high-risk patients, subtotal colectomy in cases of associated proximal colonic damage, and colostomy or intestinal bypass in the presence of irresectable lesions. Obstruction was considered proximal when the tumor was situated at the splenic flexure or proximally and a right or extended right colectomy was performed. A range of factors were investigated to estimate the probability of death: gender, age, American Society of Anesthesiologists score, nature of obstruction (benign vs. malign), location of the lesion (proximal vs. distal), associated proximal colonic damage and/or peritonitis, preoperative transfusion, preoperative renal failure, and laboratory data (hematocrit ≤30 percent, hemoglobin ≤10 g/dl, and leukocyte count >15,000/mm3). Univariate and multivariate forward steptwise logistic regression analysis was used to study the prognostic value of each significant variable in terms of mortality.RESULTSOne or more complications were detected in 109 patients (46.5 percent). Death occurred in 44 patients (18.8 percent). No differences were observed between proximal and distal obstruction. Age (>70 years), American Society of Anesthesiologists III–IV score, preoperative renal failure, and the presence of proximal colon damage with or without peritonitis were significantly associated with postoperative mortality in the univariate analysis. Only American Society of Anesthesiologists score, presence of proximal colon damage, and preoperative renal failure were significant predictors of outcome in multivariate logistic regression.CONCLUSIONLarge bowel obstruction still has a high of mortality rate. An accurate preoperative evaluation of severity factors might allow stratification of patients in terms of their mortality risk and help in the decision-making process for treatment. Such an evaluation would also enable better comparison between studies performed by different authors. Principles and stratification similar to those of distal lesions should be considered in patients with proximal colonic obstruction.

Prognostic factors for mortality in Left colonic peritonitis : A new scoring system

BACKGROUND Perforating lesions of the colon affect a heterogeneous group of patients, often elderly, and usually present as abdominal emergencies, with high morbidity and mortality. The aims of this study were to assess the prognostic value of specific factors in patients with left colonic peritonitis and to evaluate the utility of a scoring method that allows one to define groups of patients with different mortality risks. STUDY DESIGN Between January 1994 and December 1999, 156 patients (77 men and 79 women), with a mean (SD) age of 63.2 years (15.5 years) (range 22 to 87 years), underwent emergency operation for a distal colonic perforation. Intraoperative colonic lavage was the first choice operation and it was performed in 74 patients (47.4%). There were three alternative procedures: the Hartmann operation was performed in 69 patients (44.2%), subtotal colectomy in 9, and colostomy in 4 patients. We analyzed specific variables for their possible relation to death including gender, age, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score, immunocompromised status, etiology, and degree of peritonitis, preoperative organ failure, time (hours) between hospital admission and surgical intervention, and degree of temperature elevation (38 degrees C). Univariate relations between predictors and outcomes (death) were analyzed using logistic regression. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to assess the prognostic value of combinations of the variables. Significant factors identified in univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to define a left colonic Peritonitis Severity Score (PSS). Factors that were significant only in univariate analysis scored 2 points if present and 1 if not. Variables significant in multivariate analysis were scored from 1 to 3 points. Patients were randomly split into two groups, one to calculate the scoring system and the other to validate it. RESULTS Overall postoperative mortality rate was 22.4%. Septic-related mortality was observed in 24 patients (15.4%). Age, peritonitis grade, ASA score, immunocompromised status, and ischemic colitis were significant for postoperative death in univariate analysis. But only ASA score and preoperative organ failure were significantly associated with postoperative mortality in multivariate logistic regression analysis. The PSS, as defined in this study, was related to outcomes of patients. Mortality rate increased from 0%, when PSS was 6 points (minimum possible score), to 100% in patients with a PSS of 13 (maximum possible PSS = 14). CONCLUSIONS Left colonic peritonitis continues to have a persistently high mortality in patients with septic complications. ASA score and preoperative organ failure are the only factors that are significantly associated with mortality in the multivariate analysis. The PSS classification may help uniformly define the mortality risk of patients with distal large bowel peritonitis, and may help to increase the comparability of studies carried out at different centers.

Randomized clinical study of Gastrografin administration in patients with adhesive small bowel obstruction.

Oral Gastrografin® has been used to differentiate partial from complete small bowel obstruction (SBO). It may have a therapeutic effect and predict the need for early surgery in adhesive SBO. The aim of this study was to determine whether contrast examination in the management of SBO allows an early oral intake and reduces hospital stay.

The deleterious effect of donor high plasma sodium and extended preservation in liver transplantation. A multivariate analysis.

The aim of this study was to analyze the donor risk factors associated with second orthotopic liver transplantation (reOLT) and graft loss after OLT within 1 month. A total of 649 OLTs performed in 11 centers in Spain during the period from 1992 to 1993 were analyzed retrospectively. Eleven donor and recipient variables were studied. Biochemical evolution of the OLT, biliary and arterial complications, patient status (alive, retransplanted, or dead), and follow-up were also recorded. Bivariate study demonstrated that extended preservation ( > 12 hr) was associated with increased biliary complications (P = 0.02), and lower prothrombin time (P = 0.04). In a logistic model regression for biliary complications, ischemia > 12 hr was an independent risk factor (odds ratio = 2.2, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.1-4.3). The multivariate Cox proportional model of potential risk factors showed that only urgent reOLT (relative risk [RR] = 2.7, 95% CI = 1.4-5.4) was independently associated with higher 30-day mortality. Donor plasma sodium > 155 mmol/L (RR = 1.4, 95% CI = 1.0-2.2) and incompatible ABO graft (RR = 3.2, 95% CI = 1.3-7.9) were independently associated with increased rate of reOLT before 30 days. Donor plasma sodium > 155 mmol/L (RR = 2, 95% CI = 1.1-3.6) and incompatible graft (RR = 3.3, 95% CI = 1.4-8.2) were independently associated with graft loss (death or reOLT) before 1 month. We conclude that cold ischemia should be kept less than 12 hr in order to avoid biliary complications. Donors over 60 years old or with plasma sodium > 155 should be carefully evaluated before OLT.

Anastomotic Dehiscence After Resection and Primary Anastomosis in Left-Sided Colonic Emergencies

PURPOSEThere is no consensus about the risk factors for anastomotic failure after elective or emergency colorectal surgery. The purpose of this study was to analyze the factors that may contribute in anastomotic dehiscence.METHODSA total of 208 patients who underwent left colonic resection and primary anastomosis for distal colonic emergencies were studied. Preoperative and operative variables analyzed for each patient were gender, age, American Society of Anesthesiologists score, comorbidities, indication for surgery, etiology of the disease, presence and grade of peritonitis, preoperative creatinine, hematocrit, hemoglobin, and leukocyte count, need for preoperative and operative transfusion. The end point was the clinical evident incidence of anastomotic leak. Bivariate comparisons of those patients with or without anastomotic leak were unpaired, and all tests of significance were two-tailed. A multivariate analysis, in which presentation of anastomotic leak was the dependent outcome variable, was performed by forward stepwise logistic regression model.RESULTSOne hundred five patients (50.4 percent) had one or more complications. Anastomotic leak was diagnosed in 12 patients (5.7 percent). Seventeen patients (8.2 percent) needed a reoperation for complication. The overall mortality was 6.2 percent (13 patients). Obesity was significant as a predictor of anastomotic leak.CONCLUSIONSObesity is a factor predicting anastomotic leak risk after resection and primary anastomosis for left-sided colonic emergencies.

Protective Effect of Ischemic Preconditioning on Cold Preservation and Reperfusion Injury Associated With Rat Intestinal Transplantation

ObjectiveTo define the protective effect of ischemic preconditioning on cold ischemia and reperfusion injury associated with intestinal transplantation, and the role of nitric oxide in this process. Summary Background DataIschemia/reperfusion injury continues to be a significant obstacle in small bowel transplantation. Preconditioning is a mechanism that protects against this injury. MethodsTo study the capacity of preconditioning to prevent cold ischemia-associated injury and the inflammatory response associated with intestinal transplantation, the authors studied a control group of animals, cold ischemia groups with or without previous preconditioning and with or without previous administration of L-NAME or NONOS, and intestinal transplantation groups with or without previous preconditioning and with or without previous administration of L-NAME or NONOS. ResultsHistologic findings and the release of lactate dehydrogenase into the preservation solution showed that preconditioning protects against cold ischemic preservation-associated injury. Preconditioning also prevented the inflammatory response associated with intestinal transplantation, measured by the above parameters and by neutrophil recruitment in the intestine. Inhibition of nitric oxide eliminates the protective effect. ConclusionsPreconditioning protects the intestinal grafts from cold preservation and reperfusion injury in the rat intestinal transplantation model. Nitric oxide is involved in this protection.