Kyu Sam Hwang

Modified right liver graft from a living donor to prevent congestion.

Background. Right liver grafts without middle hepatic vein (MHV) drainage reconstruction resulted in severe congestion of the anterior segment (AS) in our early experience of adult-to-adult living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). However, a detailed strategy for preventing such congestion or the necessity of MHV reconstruction has not been discussed in LDLT using a right lobe graft. Methods. From July 1997 to February 1998, two of five right lobe grafts without MHV drainage reconstruction were complicated with severe congestion of the AS. Thereafter, 42 adult recipients who received right liver grafts with sizable MHV tributaries underwent the reconstruction of MHV drainage. All sizable (>5 mm in diameter) MHV tributaries were preserved during donor hepatectomy and were reconstructed with the recipient’s autogenous interposition vein grafts at the bench surgery. The reconstructed vein grafts of this modified right lobe graft were anastomosed to the stump of the MHV and/or left hepatic vein of the recipient after graft revascularization. Results. Serial Doppler ultrasonography, which was regularly checked until 30 days posttransplant, revealed the patent interposition vein graft in 38 of 42 recipients (patency rate 90.5%). In these 38 recipients, no evidence of congestion in the AS was recognized on enhanced computed tomography, while providing enough functioning liver mass comparable to an extended right lobe graft. Also, congestion-related graft injury, such as an infarct of the AS, was not observed in these recipients. Conclusions. Our early experience indicated the necessity of MHV drainage reconstruction in right lobe grafts, which do not have MHV trunk in certain instances. However, preoperatively, it is difficult to predict the degree of AS congestion of the right liver graft without MHV drainage reconstruction. We suggest aggressive reconstruction of MHV drainage tributaries of the AS, under the circumstances that sizable MHV tributaries are encountered, to prevent possible congestion-related complications.

Hemodynamic Changes during the Pringle Maneuver in Patients with Abnormal Liver Function

Background: During the Pringle maneuver (PM), the increase of systemic vascular resistance (SVR) and the active constriction of the intrahepatic capacitance vessels could minimize arterial blood pressure change. Pressor reactivity to sympathetic agonists is impaired and blood volume buffering capability is less efficient in a cirrhotic liver . Accordingly, we evaluated the relations between hemodynamics during PM and preoperative liver function test (LFT) by serum aminotransferase and Indocyanine Green (ICG) clearance. Methods: Twenty-seven patients undergoing hepatectomy with PM were classified into two groups according to the liver function state assigned by serum aminotransferases and ICG clearance test. Sequential changes of hemodynamics were measured with Doppler flowmeter during PM. Hemodynamic data were analyzed by using ANOVA for repeated measurement. Correlation between LFTs were sought using Pearson correlation and logistic regression. Results: During the PM, cardiac output decreased significantly compared to the preclamping period in the abnormal LFT group. There were no significant changes in any other hemodynamic variables in the normal LFT group. When comparing the two groups during PM, mean arterial blood pressures and cardiac output were significantly lower in the abnormal LFT groups compared to the normal LFT groups (P < 0.05). Conclusions: These differences may suggest that cardiovascular responsiveness to reflex autonomic stimulation during the PM is significantly impaired in patients with abnormal LFT compared with normal LFT subjects. (Korean J Anesthesiol 1999; 37: 1020∼ 1026)