Riccardo Memeo

Liver resection for transplantable hepatocellular carcinoma: long-term survival and role of secondary liver transplantation.

Background/Purpose:Liver transplantation (LT) is the best theoretical treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) fulfilling the Milan criteria (TNM stages 1–2). However, LT is limited by organ availability and tumor progression on the waiting list. Liver resection (LR) may represent an alternative in these patients. The aim of this study is to report the results of LR in transplantable patients. Patients:From 1990 to 2007, 274 patients underwent liver resection for HCC. Sixty-seven (24%) met the Milan criteria on pathologic study of the specimen. Ten were TNM stage 1 and 57 stage 2 and all had chronic liver disease. There were 56 men and 11 women with a mean age of 63. LR included 12 major hepatectomies, 14 bisegmentectomies, 14 segmentectomies, and 27 nonanatomic resections. Thirty-seven resections were performed through a laparoscopic approach and there were only 8 open resections since 1998. Results:Three patients died postoperatively (4.5%), none after laparoscopic resection. Morbidity rate was 34%. After a mean follow-up of 4.8 years, 36 patients (54%) developed intrahepatic tumor recurrence. Twenty-eight (77%) were again transplantable of which 16 (44%) were transplanted. Two additional patients underwent pre-emptive LT (ie before recurrence). When considering 44 patients <65 years at the time of resection (ie upper age limit for LT), the rates of recurrence, transplantable recurrence, and intention to treat salvage transplantation (patients with transplantable recurrence actually transplanted) were 59%, 80%, and 61%, respectively. Overall and disease free 5-year survival rates were 72% and 44%, respectively. Survival was not influenced by TNM stage 1 or 2, AFP level, tumor differentiation, or the presence microscopic vascular invasion. Survival after salvage LT was 70% and 87% when calculated from the date of LT and LR, respectively. Conclusion:LR for small solitary HCC in compensated cirrhosis yields an overall survival rate comparable to upfront LT. Despite a significant recurrence rate, close imaging monitoring after resection allows salvage LT in 61% of patients with recurrence on intention to treat analysis.

Vascular complications following liver transplantation: A literature review of advances in 2015

Although vascular complications (VCs) following orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) seldom occur, they are the most feared complications with a high incidence of both graft loss and mortality, as they compromise the blood flow of the transplant (either inflow or outflow). Diagnosis and therapeutic management of VCs constitute a major challenge in terms of increasing the success rate of liver transplantation. While surgical treatment used to be considered the first choice for management, advances in endovascular intervention have increased to make this a viable therapeutic option. Considering VC as a rare but a major and dreadful issue in OLT history, and in view of the continuing and rapid progress in recent years, an update on these uncommon conditions seemed necessary. In this sense, this review comprehensively discusses the important features (epidemiological, clinical, paraclinical, prognostic and therapeutic) of VCs following OLT.

Comparison between open and laparoscopic reversal of Hartmann’s procedure for diverticulitis

AIM To compare the open and laparoscopic Hartmanns reversal in patients first treated for complicated diverticulitis. METHODS Forty-six consecutive patients with diverticular disease were included in this retrospective, single-center study of a prospectively maintained colorectal surgery database. All patients underwent conventional Hartmanns procedures for acute complicated diverticulitis. Other indications for Hartmanns procedures were excluded. Patients underwent open (OHR) or laparoscopic Hartmanns reversal (LHR) between 2000 and 2010, and received the same pre- and post-operative protocols of cares. Operative variables, length of stay, short- (at 1 mo) and long-term (at 1 and 3 years) post-operative complications, and surgery-related costs were compared between groups. RESULTS The OHR group consisted of 18 patients (13 males, mean age ± SD, 61.4 ± 12.8 years), and the LHR group comprised 28 patients (16 males, mean age 54.9 ± 14.4 years). The mean operative time and the estimated blood loss were higher in the OHR group (235.8 ± 43.6 min vs 171.1 ± 27.4 min; and 301.1 ± 54.6 mL vs 225 ± 38.6 mL respectively, P = 0.001). Bowel function returned in an average of 4.3 ± 1.7 d in the OHR group, and 3 ± 1.3 d in the LHR group (P = 0.01). The length of hospital stay was significantly longer in the OHR group (11.2 ± 5.3 d vs 6.7 ± 1.9 d, P < 0.001). The 1 mo complication rate was 33.3% in the OHR (6 wound infections) and 3.6% in the LHR group (1 hemorrhage) (P = 0.004). At 12 mo, the complication rate remained significantly higher in the OHR group (27.8% vs 10.7%, P = 0.03). The anastomotic leak and mortality rates were nil. At 3 years, no patient required re-intervention for surgical complications. The OHR procedure had significantly higher costs (+56%) compared to the LHR procedure, when combining the surgery-related costs and the length of hospital stay. CONCLUSION LHR appears to be a safe and feasible procedure that is associated with reduced hospitality stays, complication rates, and costs compared to OHR.

Survey of adult liver transplantation techniques (SALT): an international study of current practices in deceased donor liver transplantation

BACKGROUND There has been little focus lately on operative techniques for full graft liver transplantation, and the standard technique is unclear. METHODS An internet survey addressing the key technical issues was e-mailed to programme directors. RESULTS Responses were obtained from 93 out of 128 (73%) directors contacted. Programmes performed a median of 60 (8-240) transplants per year. Maximum mean cold time of 13 ± 3 h and maximum median steatosis of 40% (15-90%) were tolerated. The inferior vena cava was preserved by 48% of centres all the time and 43% selectively. European centres used temporary portacaval shunting (42%) four times more often than USA programmes. Venous bypass was always used when not preserving the inferior vena cava by less than 25%, and used selectively by approximately 40% of centres. Portal vein anastomosis with room for expansion (88%), graft hepatic artery to native gastroduodenal/common hepatic artery bifurcation (57%) and bile duct-to-duct (47%) were the favoured techniques. DISCUSSION A standard international operative technique for deceased donor liver transplantation does not exist, although there is a trend towards inferior vena cava preservation. Donor selection criteria were more homogenous across programmes. As suggested by the high response rate, there likely exists interest to investigate technical variations on an international scale.

Management of biliary complications after liver transplantation

Biliary complications (BC) currently represent a major source of morbidity after liver transplantation. Although refinements in surgical technique and medical therapy have had a positive influence on the reduction of postoperative morbidity, BC affect 5% to 25% of transplanted patients. Bile leak and anastomotic strictures represent the most common complications. Nowadays, a multidisciplinary approach is required to manage such complications in order to prevent liver failure and retransplantation.

High intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) applied to hepato-bilio-pancreatic and the digestive system—current state of the art and future perspectives

BACKGROUND High intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) is emerging as a valid minimally-invasive image-guided treatment of malignancies. We aimed to review to current state of the art of HIFU therapy applied to the digestive system and discuss some promising avenues of the technology. METHODS Pertinent studies were identified through PubMed and Embase search engines using the following keywords, combined in different ways: HIFU, esophagus, stomach, liver, pancreas, gallbladder, colon, rectum, and cancer. Experimental proof of the concept of endoluminal HIFU mucosa/submucosa ablation using a custom-made transducer has been obtained in vivo in the porcine model. RESULTS Forty-four studies reported on the clinical use of HIFU to treat liver lesions, while 19 series were found on HIFU treatment of pancreatic cancers and four studies included patients suffering from both liver and pancreatic cancers, reporting on a total of 1,682 and 823 cases for liver and pancreas, respectively. Only very limited comparative prospective studies have been reported. CONCLUSIONS Digestive system clinical applications of HIFU are limited to pancreatic and liver cancer. It is safe and well tolerated. The exact place in the hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) management algorithm remains to be defined. HIFU seems to add clear survival advantages over trans arterial chemo embolization (TACE) alone and similar results when compared to radio frequency (RF). For pancreatic cancer, HIFU achieves consistent cancer-related pain relief. Further research is warranted to improve targeting accuracy and efficacy monitoring. Furthermore, additional work is required to transfer this technology on appealing treatments such as endoscopic HIFU-based therapies.

Laparoscopic versus open gastric wedge resection for primary gastrointestinal tumors: clinical outcomes and health care costs analysis.

The study aimed to compare laparoscopic wedge resection (LWR) versus open-wedge resections (OWR) for primary gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) of the stomach. Twenty-five patients who underwent LWR were matched by tumor size and location with 25 patients who underwent OWR. GISTs close to the pylorus or the esophagogastric junction, incidental, and metastatic GISTs were excluded. Demographic, clinical, and histologic variables did not differ between groups. Estimated blood loss, time to flatus, and duration of hospitalization were significantly lower in the LWR group. Overall, 6 patients developed minor postoperative complications that were medically treated. Mortality was nil. No group difference was observed for the incidence of diseases during the follow-up (average, 46.8 mo). The OWR procedure had significantly higher costs (+34%) than the LWR. Both techniques appear safe and oncologically feasible. However, laparoscopy is associated with faster recovery and shorter hospital stay, which reflect advantages in terms of contracted costs for the health care system.

Short and long-term outcomes of laparoscopic compared to open liver resection for colorectal liver metastases

BACKGROUND Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) is now established as standard of care for a variety of gastrointestinal procedures for benign and malignant indications. However, due to concerns regarding superiority to open liver resection (OLR), the uptake of laparoscopic liver resection (LLR) has been slow. Data on long-term outcomes of LLR for colorectal liver metastases (CRLM) remain limited. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of short and long-term outcomes of LLR compared to OLR for CRLM. METHODS Five electronic databases were systematically searched for studies comparing LLR and OLR for CRLM and reporting on survival outcomes. Two reviewers independently selected studies and extracted data. Primary outcomes were overall survival (OS) and recurrence free survival (RFS). Secondary outcomes were operative time, estimated blood loss, post-operative major morbidity, mortality, length of stay (LOS), and resection margins. RESULTS Eight non-randomized studies (NRS) were included (n=2,017 total patients). Six were matched cohort studies. LLR reduced estimated blood loss [mean difference: -108.9; 95% confidence interval (CI), -214.0 to -3.7) and major morbidity [relative risk (RR): 0.68; 95% CI, 0.56-0.83], but not mortality. No difference was observed in operative time, LOS, resection margins, R0 resections, and recurrence. Survival data could not be pooled. No studies reported inferior survival with LLR. OS varied from 36% to 60% for LLR and 37% to 65% for OLR. RFS ranged from 14% to 30% for LLR and 22% to 38% for OLR. According to the grade classification, the strength of evidence was low to very low for all outcomes. The use of parenchymal sparing resections with LLR and OLR could not be assessed. CONCLUSIONS Based on limited retrospective evidence, LLR offers reduced morbidity and blood loss compared to OLR for CRLM. Comparable oncologic outcomes can be achieved. Although LLR cannot be considered as standard of care for CRLM, it is beneficial for well-selected patients and lesions. Therefore, LLR should be part of the liver surgeons armamentarium.

Laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy: hybrid surgical technique.

Received September 30, 2014; Revised October 22, 2 October 22, 2014. From the HPB Surgery and Transplantation Department, In Malalties Digestives i Metabòliques, Hospital Clı́nic de B (Sánchez-Cabús) and Centre Hépato-Biliaire Paul Brousse, France (Sánchez-Cabús, Pittau, Gelli, Memeo, Schwarz, Sa Correspondence address: Santiago Sánchez-Cabús, MD, PhD and Transplantation Department, Institut Clinic de Mala i Metabòliques, Hospital Clı́nic de Barcelona, Villarroe Barcelona, Spain. email: ssanche1@clinic.cat

Scale-adaptive supervoxel-based random forests for liver tumor segmentation in dynamic contrast-enhanced CT scans

PurposeToward an efficient clinical management of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), we propose a classification framework dedicated to tumor necrosis rate estimation from dynamic contrast-enhanced CT scans. Based on machine learning, it requires weak interaction efforts to segment healthy, active and necrotic liver tissues.MethodsOur contributions are two-fold. First, we apply random forest (RF) on supervoxels using multi-phase supervoxel-based features that discriminate tissues based on their dynamic in response to contrast agent injection. Second, we extend this technique in a hierarchical multi-scale fashion to deal with multiple spatial extents and appearance heterogeneity. It translates in an adaptive data sampling scheme combining RF and hierarchical multi-scale tree resulting from recursive supervoxel decomposition. By concatenating multi-phase features across the hierarchical multi-scale tree to describe leaf supervoxels, we enable RF to automatically infer the most informative scales without defining any explicit rules on how to combine them.ResultsAssessment on clinical data confirms the benefits of multi-phase information embedded in a multi-scale supervoxel representation for HCC tumor segmentation.ConclusionDedicated but not limited only to HCC management, both contributions reach further steps toward more accurate multi-label tissue classification.