I. Fouzas

Corticosteroid-free immunosuppression in liver transplantation: a meta-analysis and meta-regression of outcomes.

To examine the impact of steroid withdrawal from the immunosuppression protocols in liver transplantation. The electronic databases Medline, Embase, Pubmed and the Cochrane Library were searched. Meta‐analysis pooled the effects of outcomes of a total of 2590 patients enrolled into 21 randomized controlled trials (RCTs), using classic and modern meta‐analytic methods. Meta‐analysis of RCTs addressing patients transplanted for any indication showed no differences between corticosteroid‐free immunosuppression and steroid‐based protocols in most of the analyzed outcomes. More importantly, steroid‐free cohorts appeared to benefit in terms of de novo diabetes mellitus development [R.R = 1.86 (1.43, 2.41)], Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection [R.R = 1.47 (0.99, 2.17)], cholesterol levels [WMD = 19.71 (13.7, 25.7)], the number of patients that received the allocated treatment [O.R = 1.55 (1.17, 2.05)], severe acute rejection [R.R = 1.71 (1.14, 2.54)] and overall acute rejection [R.R = 1.31 (1.09, 1.58)] (when steroids were replaced in the steroid‐free arm). Taking RCTs into account independently when steroids were not replaced, overall acute rejection was favoring the steroid‐based arm [R.R = 0.75 (0.58, 0.98)]. Studies addressing exclusively transplanted HCV patients demonstrated a significant advantage of steroid‐free protocols considering HCV recurrence [R.R = 1.15 (1.01, 1.13)], acute graft hepatitis [O.R = 3.15 (1.18, 8.40)], and treatment failure [O.R = 1.87 (1.33, 2.63)]. No unfavorable effects were observed after steroid withdrawal during short‐term follow‐up. On the contrary, significant advantages were documented.

Orthotopic Liver Transplantation: T-tube or Not T-tube? Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Results

Background. The purpose of this study was to compare outcomes after duct-to-duct anastomoses with or without biliary T-tube in orthotopic liver transplantation. Methods. We pooled the outcomes of 1027 patients undergoing choledocho-choledochostomy with or without T-tube in 9 of 46 screened trials by means of fixed or random effects models. Results. The “without T-tube” and “with T-tube” groups had equivalent outcomes for: anastomotic bile leaks or fistulas, choledocho-jejunostomy revisions, dilatation and stenting, hepatic artery thromboses, retransplantation, and mortality due to biliary complications. The “without T-tube” group had better outcomes when considering “fewer episodes of cholangitis,” “fewer episodes of peritonitis,” and showed a favorable trend for “overall biliary complications.” Although the “with T-tube” group showed superior result for “anastomotic and nonanastomotic strictures,” the incidence of interventions was not diminished. Conclusions. Our systematic review and meta analysis favor the abandonment of T-tubes in orthotopic liver transplantation.

Liver Transplantation as a Primary Indication for Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma: A Single-Center Experience

BACKGROUND Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) is not a widely accepted indication for orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). The present study describes our institutional experience with patients who underwent transplantation for ICC as well as those with ICC who underwent transplantation with the incorrect diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). PATIENTS AND METHODS Data corresponding to ICC patients were reviewed for the purposes of this study. Patients with hilar cholangiocarcinoma and incidentally found ICC after OLT for benign diseases were excluded from further consideration. RESULTS Among the 10 patients, 6 underwent transplantation before 1996 and 4 after 2001. Those who underwent transplantation in the early period had a preoperative diagnosis of inoperable ICC (n = 4) and ICC in the setting of primary sclerosing cholangitis (n = 2). In the latter period the subjects had a diagnosis of HCC in cirrhosis (n = 3) or recurrent ICC after an extended right hepatectomy (n = 1). Median survival was 25.3 months for the whole series and 32.2 months (range, 18-130 months) when hospital mortality was excluded (n = 3). Four patients are currently alive after 30, 35, 42, and 130 months post-OLT, respectively. Two patients died of tumor recurrence at 18 and 21 months post-OLT, respectively. One-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates were 70%, 50%, and 33%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS The role of OLT in the setting of ICC may be re-evaluated in the future under strict selection criteria and with prospective multicenter randomized studies. Potential candidates to be included are those with liver cirrhosis and no hilar involvement who meet the Milan criteria for HCC.

Liver transplantation for hepatic metastases of neuroendocrine pancreatic tumors: a survival-based analysis.

Background. Liver transplantation (LT) has been accepted as a treatment in selected cases of neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) with hepatic metastases. Patients and Methods. A systematic review of the literature was conducted to evaluate long-term patient survival in the instances of LT for pancreatic NET. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses and survival analysis were performed. Results. Fifty-three clinical studies were screened. Data from 20 studies encompassing 89 transplanted patients were included in the study. Most primary tumors were endocrine pancreatic tumors (n=69), with gastrinomas representing the most frequent diagnosis (n=21). There were 61 functioning pancreatic NET. Simultaneous LT and pancreatic NET resections were performed in 45 instances. Cumulative 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival was 71%, 55%, and 44%, respectively, with a calculated mean survival of 54.45±6.31 months. Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIPomas) had the best overall survival. Recurrence-free survival at 1, 3, and 5 years was 84%, 47%, and 47%, respectively. Recipient age more than or equal to 55 years (P=0.0242) and simultaneous LT-pancreatic resection (P=0.0132) were found to be significant predictors of worse survival by both univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard analyses. A scoring system was developed, with prognostic points assigned as follows: age more than or equal to 55 years:age less than 55years=1:0 points and simultaneous LT-pancreatic resection:LT alone=1:0 points. This stratification delineated three separate population samples corresponding to patients with scores of 0, 1, and 2, respectively. The calculated 5-year survival for scores 0, 1, and 2 was 61%, 40%, and 0%, respectively (P=0.0023). Conclusions. Despite the limitations of this retrospective analysis, good results can be achieved even for pancreatic NET primaries if the above-proposed scoring system is applied.

Laparoscopic versus open mesh repair for recurrent inguinal hernia: a meta-analysis of outcomes

BACKGROUND The objective of this study was to examine the outcomes of comparisons between laparoscopic and open mesh repairs in the setting of recurrent inguinal hernia. METHODS The electronic databases MEDLINE, Embase, Pubmed, and the Cochrane Library were used to search for articles from 1990 to 2008. The present meta-analysis pooled the effects of outcomes of a total of 1,542 patients enrolled into 5 randomized controlled trials and 7 comparative studies, using classic and modern meta-analytic methods. RESULTS Significantly fewer cases of hematoma/seroma formation were observed in the laparoscopic group in comparison with the Lichtenstein group (odds ratio, .38; .15-.96; P = .04). A matter of great importance is the higher relative risk of overall recurrence in the transabdominal preperitoneal group compared with the totally extraperitoneal group (relative risk, 3.25; 1.32-7.9; P = .01). CONCLUSIONS Laparoscopic versus open mesh repair for recurrent inguinal hernia was equivalent in most of the analyzed outcomes.

The natural history of vascular access for hemodialysis: A single center study of 2,422 patients

BACKGROUND Our objective is to provide provision of primary and secondary patency rates data and incidence of complications. Despite the publication of some review articles and small prospective trials about vascular accesses, controversy still exists regarding the choice of the outflow conduit and especially the choice of the fistula to be formed in secondary and tertiary access procedures. METHODS This is a retrospective study of 2,422 consecutive patients who underwent 3,685 vascular access procedures in a tertiary care hospital, including radial-cephalic (RCAVF), brachial-cephalic (BCAVF), brachial-basilic (BBAVF), and prosthetic graft (PTFE) fistulas. Maximum follow-up period was 20 years. Actuarial patency rates were obtained by Kaplan-Meier analysis. RESULTS The median primary patency (days) of the most common 1st choices for vascular access were 712 (95% CI: 606, 818), 1,009 (95% CI: 823, 1,195), and 384 (95% CI: 273, 945) days for RCAVF, BCAVF, and PTFE, respectively. The median secondary patency was 1809 days (95% CI: 1,692, 1,926) for the RCAVF. The median primary patency of BBAVF (2nd or 3rd choice for vascular access) was 1,582 days (95% CI: 415, 2,749). The cumulative incidence of clinically important complications for the patients who received a RCAVF, BCAVF, BBAVF, and u-PTFE was 0.25, 0.57, 0.33, and 0.61 per patient-year, respectively. CONCLUSION We advocate maximal use of autogenous conduits, except probably the case of the older diabetic patient, in whom access at the antecubital fossa should be the first choice. BBAVF is an excellent fistula and should probably be constructed before prosthetic graft placement.

Liver Transplantation for Hilar Cholangiocarcinoma: A German Survey

BACKGROUND The present study reports a German survey addressing outcomes in nonselected historical series of liver transplantation (OLT) for hilar cholangiocarcinoma (HL). PATIENTS AND METHODS We sent to all 25 German transplant centers performing OLT a survey that addressed (1) the number of OLTs for HL and the period during which they were performed; (2) the incidence of HL diagnosed prior to OLT/rate of incidental HL (for example, in primary sclerosing cholangitis); (3) tumor stages according to Union Internationale Centre le Cancer; (4) patient survival; and (5) tumor recurrence rate. RESULTS Eighty percent of centers responded, reporting 47 patients who were transplanted for HL. Tumors were classified as pT2 (25%), pT3 (73%), or pT4 (2%). HL was diagnosed incidentally in 10% of cases. A primary diagnosis of PSC was observed in 16% of patients. Overall median survival was 35.5 months. When in-hospital mortality (n = 12) was excluded, the median survival was 45.4 months, corresponding to 3- and 5-year survival rates of 42% and 31%, versus 31% and 22% when in-hospital mortality was included. HL recurred in 34% of cases. Three- and 5-year survivals for the 15 patients transplanted since 1998 was 57% and 48%, respectively. Median survival ranged from 20 to 42 months based on the time period (P = .014). CONCLUSIONS The acceptable overall survival, the improved results after careful patient selection since 1998, and the encouraging outcomes from recent studies all suggest that OLT may be a potential treatment for selected cases of HL. Prospective multicenter randomized studies with strict selection criteria and multimodal treatments seem necessary.

New nucleos(t)ide analogue monoprophylaxis after cessation of hepatitis B immunoglobulin is effective against hepatitis B recurrence

New nucleos(t)ide agents (NAs) [entecavir (ETV) and tenofovir (TDF)] have made hepatitis B immunoglobulin (HBIG)‐sparing protocols an attractive approach against hepatitis B virus (HBV) recurrence after liver transplantation (LT). Twenty‐eight patients transplanted for HBV cirrhosis in our centre were prospectively evaluated. After LT, each patient received HBIG (1000 IU IM/day for 7 days and then monthly for 6 months) plus ETV or TDF and then continued with ETV or TDF monoprophylaxis. All patients had undetectable HBV DNA at the time of LT, and they were followed up with laboratory tests including glomerular filtration rate (GFR) after LT. All patients (11 under ETV and 17 under TDF) remained HBsAg/HBV DNA negative during the follow‐up period [median: 21 (range 9–43) months]. GFR was not different between TDF and ETV groups of patients at 6 and 12 months and last follow‐up (P value >0.05 for all comparisons). The two groups of patients were similar regarding their ratio of maximum rate of tubular phosphate reabsorption to the GFR (TmP/GFR). In conclusion, in this prospective study, we showed for the first time that maintenance therapy with ETV or TDF monoprophylaxis after 6 months of low‐dose HBIG plus ETV or TDF after LT is highly effective and safe.

Impact of double-j ureteric stent in kidney transplantation: single-center experience.

We retrospectively evaluated the use of double-j stent and the incidence of urological complications in 2 groups of patients who received a kidney transplant. From January 2005 to September 2007 we studied 172 patients receiving kidney transplants, 65 and 107 from living and cadaver donors, respectively. From the 172 patients, a total of 34 were excluded due to ureterostomy or Politano-Leadbetter ureterovesical anastomosis. Another 21 patients were excluded from the study due to graft loss due to acute or hyperacute rejection, cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection, or vascular complication. The remaining patients were divided into 2 groups: group A (44 patients) and B (73 patients) with versus without the use of a double-j-stent, respectively. The 2 groups were comparable in terms of donor and recipient gender, ischemia time, and delayed graft function. We failed to observes significant differences between the 2 groups in mean hospital stay (23 +/- 9 and 19 +/- 9), urinary leak (2.3% and 4.1%), and urinary tract infection (20.4% and 19.2%), among groups A and B, respectively. The only difference observed concerned the gravity of the urinary leak; no surgical intervention was needed among the double-j stent group versus 2 patients demanding ureterovesical reconstruction in the nonstent group. In conclusion, our data suggested that the routine use of a double-j stent for ureterovesical anastomosis neither significantly increased urinary tract infection rates, nor decreased the incidence of urinary leaks, but may decrease the gravity of the latter as evidenced by the need for surgical intervention.

Intensive Care Unit Management of Liver Transplant Patients: A Formidable Challenge for the Intensivist

Patients with end-stage liver disease, particular following liver transplantation, are a major challenge for the intensivist. The recipient is at risk for cardiac decompensation, respiratory failure following reperfusion, and kidney failure. This review will focus on these topics to provide useful information concerning pathophysiology and treatment. Intensivists, who are involved in the postoperative care of liver transplant patients, have to be aware of these problems.