Marko Slavica

Percutaneous Endovascular Treatment for Hepatic Artery Stenosis after Liver Transplantation: The Role of Percutaneous Endovascular Treatment

Summary Background To retrospectively analyze the outcomes of interventional radiology treatment of patients with hepatic artery stenosis (HAS) after liver transplantation at our Institution. Material/Methods Hepatic artery stenosis was diagnosed and treated by endovascular technique in 8 (2.8%) patients, who underwent liver transplantation between July 2007 and July 2011. Patients entered the follow-up period, during which we analyzed hepatic artery patency with Doppler ultrasound at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after percutaneous endovascular treatment (PTA), and every six months thereafter. Results During the 12-month follow-up period, 6 out of 8 patients (75%) were asymptomatic with patent hepatic artery, which was confirmed by multislice computed tomography (MSCT) angiography, or color Doppler (CD) ultrasound. One patient had a fatal outcome of unknown cause, and one patient underwent orthotopic liver retransplantation (re-OLT) procedure due to graft failure. Conclusions Our results suggest that HAS angioplasty and stenting are minimally invasive and safe endovascular procedures that represent a good alternative to open surgery, with good 12-month follow-up patency results comparable to surgery.

Embolisation of Posttraumatic Superior Mesenteric Artery Pseudoaneurysm in a Patient with Short Bowel Syndrome Preceding Bowel Transplantation

Penetrating abdominal trauma often causes bowel injuries which may lead to “short bowel syndrome” which is a potential indication for bowel transplantation. Posttraumatic pseudoaneurysms of abdominal arteries are often a result of penetrating abdominal trauma. We report a successful embolisation of posttraumatic superior mesenteric artery (SMA) branch pseudoaneurysm using microcoil, in a patient with short bowel syndrome who was successfully transplanted three months after embolisation.