Objective To explore the indications for liver transplantation among patients with hepatolithiasis.
Methods Data from 1431 consecutive patients with hepatolithiasis who underwent surgical treatment from January 2000 to December 2006 were retrospectively collected for analysis. Surgical procedures included T-tube insertion combined with intraoperative cholangioscopic removal of intrahepatic stones, hepatectomy, cholangiojejunostomy, and liver transplantation.
Results Nine hundred and sixty-one patients who had a stone located in the left or right intrahepatic duct underwent hepatectomy or T-tube insertion combined with intraoperative cholangioscopic removal of intrahepatic stones. The rate of residual stones was 7.5% (72/961). Four hundred and seventy patients who had a stone located in the bilateral intrahepatic ducts underwent surgical procedures other than liver transplantation; the rate of residual stones was 21.7% (102/470). Only 15 patients with hepatolithiasis underwent liver transplantation; they all survived. According to the degree of biliary cirrhosis, recipients were divided into 2 groups: a group with biliary decompensated cirrhosis (n=7), or group with biliary compensated cirrhosis or noncirrhosis group (n=8). There were significant differences in operative times, transfusion volumes and blood losses between 2 groups (P<0.05). In the first group, 6 of 7 patients experienced surgical complications, and in the second, 8 recipients recovered smoothly with no complications. Health status, disability and psychological wellness of all recipients (n=15) were significantly improved in 1 year after transplantation as compared with pretransplantation (P<0.05).
Conclusion Liver transplantation is a possible method to address hepatolithiasis and secondary decompensated biliary cirrhosis or difficult to remove, diffusely distributed intrahepatic duct stones unavailable by hepatectomy, cholangiojejunostomy, and choledochoscopy.
Citation: YANG Yong,CHEN Zheyu,YAN Lnan,ZENG Yong,WEN Tianfu,LI Bo,ZHAO Jichun,WANG Wentao,YANG Jiayin,XU Mingqing,MA Yukui,WU Hong. Preliminary Experience with Indications for Liver Transplantation for Hepatolithiasis. CHINESE JOURNAL OF BASES AND CLINICS IN GENERAL SURGERY, 2009, 16(10): 814-818. doi: Copy