Subhash Gupta

Proximal splenorenal shunts for extrahepatic portal venous obstruction in children.

ObjectiveThe results of proximal splenorenal shunts done in children with extrahepatic portal venous obstruction were evaluated. Summary Background DataExtrahepatic portal venous obstruction, a common cause of portal hypertension in children in India, is being treated increasingly by endoscopic sclerotherapy instead of by proximal splenorenal shunt. It is believed that surgery (or the operation) carries high mortality and rebleeding rates and is followed by portosystemic encephalopathy and postsplenectomy sepsis. However, a proximal splenorenal shunt is a definitive procedure that may be more suitable for children, particularly those who have limited access to medical facilities and safe blood transfusion. MethodsBetween 1976 and 1992, the authors performed 160 splenorenal shunts in children. Twenty were emergency procedures for uncontrollable bleeding and 140 were elective procedures — 102 for recurrent bleeding and 38 for hypersplenism. ResultsThe overall operative mortality rate was 1.9%–10% (3/160–2/20) after emergency operations and 0.7% (1/140) after elective operations. Rebleeding occurred in 17 patients (11%), and pneumococcal meningitis developed in 1 patient who recovered later. Encephalopathy did not develop in any patient. Four patients died in the follow-up period – two of rebleeding, one of chronic renal failure and a subphrenic abscess, and one of unknown causes. The 15-year survival rate by life table analysis was 95%. ConclusionsA proximal splenorenal shunt, a one-time procedure with a low mortality rate and good long-term results, is an effective treatment for children in India with extrahepatic portal venous obstruction.

Portal Cavernoma Cholangiopathy: Consensus Statement of a Working Party of the Indian National Association for Study of the Liver

Portal cavernoma cholangiopathy (PCC) is defined as abnormalities in the extrahepatic biliary system including the cystic duct and gallbladder with or without abnormalities in the 1st and 2nd generation biliary ducts in a patient with portal cavernoma. Presence of a portal cavernoma, typical cholangiographic changes on endoscopic or magnetic resonance cholangiography and the absence of other causes of these biliary changes like bile duct injury, primary sclerosing cholangitis, cholangiocarcinoma etc are mandatory to arrive a diagnosis. Compression by porto-portal collateral veins involving the paracholedochal and epicholedochal venous plexuses and cholecystic veins and ischemic insult due to deficient portal blood supply or prolonged compression by collaterals bring about biliary changes. While the former are reversible after porto-systemic shunt surgery, the latter are not. Majority of the patients with PCC are asymptomatic and approximately 21% are symptomatic. Symptoms in PCC could be in the form of long standing jaundice due to chronic cholestasis, or biliary pain with or without cholangitis due to biliary stones. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiography has no diagnostic role because it is invasive and is associated with risk of complications, hence it is reserved for therapeutic procedures. Magnetic resonance cholangiography and portovenography is a noninvasive and comprehensive imaging technique, and is the modality of choice for mapping of the biliary and vascular abnormalities in these patients. PCC is a progressive condition and symptoms develop late in the course of portal hypertension only in patients with severe or advanced changes of cholangiopathy. Asymptomatic patients with PCC do not require any treatment. Treatment of symptomatic PCC can be approached in a phased manner, coping first with biliary clearance by nasobiliary or biliary stent placement for acute cholangitis and endoscopic biliary sphincterotomy for biliary stone removal; second, with portal decompression by creating portosystemic shunt; and third, with persistent biliary obstruction by performing second-stage biliary drainage surgery such as hepaticojejunostomy or choledochoduodenostomy. Patients with symptomatic PCC have good prognosis after successful endoscopic biliary drainage and after successful shunt surgery.

Comparative accuracy of CT, dual-echo MRI and MR spectroscopy for preoperative liver fat quantification in living related liver donors

Background: It is of significant importance to assess the extent of hepatic steatosis in living donor liver transplant (LDLT) surgery to ensure optimum graft regeneration as well as donor safety. Aim: To establish the accuracy of non-invasive imaging methods including computed tomography (CT), dual-echo in- and opposed-phase magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and MR spectroscopy (MRS) for quantification of liver fat content (FC) in prospective LDLT donors with histopathology as reference standard. Settings and Design: This retrospective study was conducted at our institution on LDLT donors being assessed for biliary and vascular anatomy depiction by Magnetic Resonance Cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) and CT scan, respectively, between July 2013 and October 2014. Materials and Methods: Liver FC was measured in 73 donors by dual-echoT1 MRI and MRS. Of these, CT liver attenuation index (LAI) values were available in 62 patients. Statistical Analysis: CT and MRI FC were correlated with histopathological reference standard using Spearman correlation coefficient. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predicative value, and positive and negative likelihood ratios with 95% confidence intervals were obtained. Results: CT LAI, dual-echo MRI, and MRS correlated well with the histopathology results (r = 0.713, 0.871, and 0.882, respectively). An accuracy of 95% and 96% was obtained for dual-echo MRI and MRS in FC estimation with their sensitivity being 97% and 94%, respectively. False-positive rate, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predicative value (NPV) were 0.08, 0.92, and 0.97, respectively, for dual-echo MRI and 0.03, 0.97, and 0.95, respectively, for MRS. CT LAI method of fat estimation has a sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV of 73%, 77.7%, 70.4%, and 80%, respectively. Conclusion: Dual-echo MRI, MRS, and CT LAI are accurate measures to quantify the degree of hepatic steatosis in LDLT donors, thus reducing the need for invasive liver biopsy and its associated complications. Dual-echo MRI and MRS results correlate better with histological results in the study, as compared to CT LAI method for fat quantification.

Posttransplant Complex Inferior Venacava Balloon Dilatation After Hepatic Vein Stenting

Orthotopic and living related liver transplantation is an established mode of treatment of end-stage liver disease. One of the major causes of postoperative complications is vascular anastomotic stenosis. One such set of such complications relates to hepatic vein, inferior vena cava (IVC), or portal vein stenosis, with a reported incidence of 1–3%. The incidence of vascular complications is reported to be higher in living donor versus cadaveric liver transplants. We encountered a patient with hepatic venous outflow tract obstruction, where the hepatic vein had been previously stented, but the patient continued to have symptoms due to additional IVC obstruction. The patient required double-balloon dilatation of the IVC simultaneously from the internal jugular vein and IVC.

Evaluation of biliary complications on magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography and comparison with direct cholangiography after living-donor liver transplantation

AIM To evaluate the imaging characteristics of biliary complications following liver transplantation on magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) and its diagnostic accuracy in comparison with direct cholangiography. MATERIAL AND METHODS In this prospective study, 34 patients being evaluated for possible biliary complications after living-donor liver transplantation (LDLT) with abnormal MRCP findings were followed up for information regarding direct cholangiography either endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) or percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography (PTC) within 7 days of MRCP. Twenty-nine patients underwent ERCP and five patients underwent PTC. RESULTS Compared to findings at direct cholangiography, MRCP presented 96.9% sensitivity, 96.9% positive predictive value, and 94.1% accuracy for the detection of biliary complications. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy for detection of anastomotic strictures, biliary leak, and biliary stone or sludge on MRCP was found to be 100%, 84.6%, 91.3%, 100% and 94.1%; 72.7%, 95.7%, 88.9%, 88% and 88.2%; 80%, 100%, 100%, 96.7% and 97.1%, respectively. CONCLUSION MRCP is a reliable non-invasive technique to evaluate the biliary complications following LDLT. MRCP should be the imaging method of choice for diagnosis in this setting and direct cholangiography should be reserved for cases that need therapeutic interventions.