Said A. Al-Busafi

Clinical manifestations of portal hypertension.

The portal hypertension is responsible for many of the manifestations of liver cirrhosis. Some of these complications are the direct consequences of portal hypertension, such as gastrointestinal bleeding from ruptured gastroesophageal varices and from portal hypertensive gastropathy and colopathy, ascites and hepatorenal syndrome, and hypersplenism. In other complications, portal hypertension plays a key role, although it is not the only pathophysiological factor in their development. These include spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, hepatic encephalopathy, cirrhotic cardiomyopathy, hepatopulmonary syndrome, and portopulmonary hypertension.

Chylous Ascites: Evaluation and Management

Chylous ascites refers to the accumulation of lipid-rich lymph in the peritoneal cavity due to disruption of the lymphatic system secondary to traumatic injury or obstruction. Worldwide, abdominal malignancy, cirrhosis, and tuberculosis are the commonest causes of CA in adults, the latter being most prevalent in developing countries, whereas congenital abnormalities of the lymphatic system and trauma are commonest in children. The presence of a milky, creamy appearing ascitic fluid with triglyceride content above 200 mg/dL is diagnostic, and, in the majority of cases, unless there is a strong suspicion of malignancy, further investigations are not required in patients with cirrhosis. If an underlying cause is identified, targeted therapy is possible, but most cases will be treated conservatively, with dietary support including high-protein and low-fat diets supplemented with medium-chain triglycerides, therapeutic paracentesis, total parenteral nutrition, and somatostatins. Rarely, resistant cases have been treated by transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt, surgical exploration, or peritoneovenous shunt.

Antioxidant Therapy in Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis

Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) affects up to 3% of the North American population. It occurs as a manifestation of the insulin-resistant state and oxidative stress is thought to be a key component of its pathophysiology. Exercise and diet, which are the mainstay of therapy, are difficult to achieve and maintain with a disappointing long-term compliance record. There is growing literature on the potential for antioxidant therapy. The recent literature strongly suggests that vitamin E supplementation and other putative free radical scavengers and/or antioxidants are beneficial in improving biochemical and histological parameters in NASH.

Chylous Ascites Secondary to Giant Liver Hemangioma

Chylous ascites is rare in clinical practice. It is characterized by milky-appearing peritoneal fluid with a triglycerides concentration of >1.25 mmol/l (110 mg/dl). Its pathophysiology is related to a disruption in the normal lymphatic flow. It is more common after trauma (including post surgery), neoplasia or atypical infections such as tuberculosis or filariasis. Other rare medical causes have been reported. The treatment is supportive and focused on correction of the underlying pathology. We report here the first case of chylous ascites caused by giant liver hemangioma and discuss the management of this condition.

The utility of Xenon-133 liver scan in the diagnosis and management of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

BACKGROUND Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is an important and common condition affecting approximately 20% of the general population. Given the limitation of radiological investigations, diagnosis often requires a liver biopsy. OBJECTIVE To compare Xenon-133 (Xe-133) liver scanning with ultrasonography in the diagnosis of NAFLD. METHODS From January 2003 to February 2007, 258 consecutive patients with suspected NAFLD underwent Xe-133 liver scanning at Royal Victoria Hospital (Montreal, Quebec). Of these, 43 patients underwent ultrasonography and liver biopsy for the evaluation of NAFLD. Patients with other liver diseases and significant alcohol consumption were excluded. Two nuclear medicine physicians assessed liver Xe-133 uptake and measured the grade of steatosis using a standardized protocol. The degree of steatosis was determined from biopsy specimens assessed by two hepatopathologists. RESULTS NAFLD was identified by liver biopsy in 35 of 43 patients (81.4%). Xe-133 scan demonstrated 94.3% sensitivity (95% CI 81.4% to 98.4%) and 87.5% specificity (95% CI 52.9% to 99.4%) for the presence of NAFLD. The positive and negative predictive values for detection of steatosis by Xe-133 scan were 97.1% (95% CI 85.1% to 99.8%) and 77.8% (95% CI 45.3% to 93.7%), respectively. The positive and negative likelihood ratios were 7.54 (95% CI 1.20 to 47.26) and 0.07 (95% CI 0.02 to 0.26), respectively. Two patients with NAFLD (5.7%) who had a negative Xe-133 scan result had histologically mild steatosis (<10%). The grade of steatosis on liver biopsy was highly correlated with the results of the Xe-133 scan (r=0.87; P<0.001). The sensitivity and specificity of ultrasound in diagnosing steatosis were 62.9% and 75%, respectively. CONCLUSION Xe-133 liver scan proved to be a safe, reliable, noninvasive method for diagnosing and quantifying hepatic steatosis, and was superior to ultrasound.

Endoscopic management of portal hypertension.

Cirrhosis is the leading cause of portal hypertension worldwide, with the development of bleeding gastroesophageal varices being one of the most life-threatening consequences. Endoscopy plays an indispensible role in the diagnosis, staging, and prophylactic or active management of varices. With the expected future refinements in endoscopic technology, capsule endoscopy may one day replace traditional gastroscopy as a diagnostic modality, whereas endoscopic ultrasound may more precisely guide interventional therapy for gastric varices.

Mild Hypertransaminasemia in Primary Care

The liver enzymes, alanine transaminase (ALT) or aspartate transaminase (AST), are commonly used in clinical practice as screening as well as diagnostic tests for liver diseases. ALT is more specific for liver injury than AST and has been shown to be a good predictor of liver related and all-cause mortality. Asymptomatic mild hypertransaminasemia (i.e., less than five times normal) is a common finding in primary care and this could be attributed to serious underlying condition or has transient and benign cause. Unfortunately, there are no good literatures available on the cost-effectiveness of evaluating patients with asymptomatic mild hypertransaminasemia. However, if the history and physical examination do not suggest a clear cause, a stepwise approach should be initiated based on pretest probability of the underlying liver disease. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is becoming the most common cause of mild hypertransaminasemia worldwide. Other causes include alcohol abuse, medications, and hepatitis B and C. Less common causes include hemochromatosis, α1-antitrypsin deficiency, autoimmune hepatitis, and Wilsons disease. Nonhepatic causes such as celiac disease, thyroid, and muscle disorders should be considered in the differential diagnosis. Referral to a specialist and a possible liver biopsy should be considered if persistent hypertransaminasemia for six months or more of unclear etiology.

Do we have guidelines for the prevention of Hepatitis B virus perinatal transmission

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Epidemiology of Chronic Hepatitis C Infections at a Tertiary Care Centre in Oman

Objectives Chronic hepatitis C (CHC) is a leading cause of liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) worldwide. However, there is a lack of data regarding the epidemiology of CHC in Oman. This study aimed to describe the clinicopathological characteristics and outcomes of CHC-infected patients at a tertiary care hospital in Oman. Methods This retrospective descriptive hospital-based study included all CHC-infected patients who presented to the Sultan Qaboos University Hospital (SQUH) in Muscat, Oman, between January 2010 and December 2015. The baseline demographic, clinical, laboratory and radiological data of the patients were analysed. Results A total of 603 CHC-infected patients were identified during the study period; of these, 65.8% were male and the mean age was 44.8 ± 16.5 years. The main risk factors associated with CHC infection were intravenous drug abuse (23.9%) and a history of blood transfusions (20.7%). The most prevalent virus genotypes were 1 and 3 (44.0% and 35.1%, respectively). Upon initial presentation, 33.0% of the cohort had liver cirrhosis; of these, 48.7% had decompensated cirrhosis and 23.1% had HCCs. Liver transplantation was only performed for 7.5% of the cirrhosis patients, mostly as a curative treatment for HCC. Conclusion The implementation of national policies to prevent hepatitis C transmission and encourage the early screening of at-risk patients is recommended to reduce the burden and consequences of this disease in Oman.

Towards supporting greater and lower cost access to direct acting antiviral treatment for hepatitis C for all patients

Sir, It is with great interest that we read the Saudi Association for the Study of Liver diseases and Transplantation (SASLT) position statement [1] and guidelines[2] on direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs) for the treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. The position statement and the guidelines, which were clearly influenced by the limited availability of highly priced DAAs, recommend that HCV treatment should be prioritized to patients at higher risk for developing HCV-related complications.