ObjectiveTo study the development of methods assessing donor liver viability in liver transplantation.MethodsThe literature in the recent years on the methods of assessing donor liver viability was reviewed.ResultsFrom donor liver morphology to function,there have being developed many methods which assess donor liver viability,including:①donor liver appearance; ②intraoperative biopsies; ③donor liver microcirculation; ④portal pressure; ⑤enzymes levels in liver; ⑥lidocainemetabolizing activity; ⑦energy metabolism of donor liver; ⑧fat content in donor liver.ConclusionThere are many methods to assess the viability of donor liver. Each has its supericrity and defect respectively. Intraoperative biopsies, 31Pmagnetic resonance spectroscopy and portal pressure have more importance in clinical application.
【Abstract】 Objective To investigate the expression patterns of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) mRNA as markers for isolated tumor cells in the peripheral blood of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) following liver transplantation, and to evaluate the correlation between VEGF and the recurrence and metastasis of HCC following liver transplantation. Methods In this prospective study, 97 patients were divided into four groups according to the pathological results: HCC following liver transplantation group (HCC+LT group, n=53), advanced HCC group (n=8), benign liver diseases group (n=26) and healthy volunteers group (n=10), among which the 53 cases in HCC group were collected from April, 2002 to December, 2003. RNA was purified from the peripheral blood of the other 44 control patients and also from the patients in HCC group before, during and after liver transplantation in order to study the expression specificity of VEGF mRNA in HCC patients and its dynamic change during perioperative period. The correlation between VEGF and the tumor recurrence and metastasis was also analyzed by fluorescent quantitative reverse transcriptase and polymerase chain reaction (FQ RT-PCR). Results VEGF mRNA could be used as marker of isolated tumor cells for its high specificity. The positive rate of VEGF mRNA in HCC group and in advanced HCC group were 37.5% and 75.0%, respectively, which were significantly higher than that in benign liver diseases group (11.5%) and healthy volunteers group (10.0%), P＜0.01. The presence of preoperative VEGF mRNA and the consistent presence of postoperative VEGF mRNA might be relevant with the recurrence and metastasis HCC following liver transplantation （P＜0.01）. Conclusion The presence of preoperative VEGF mRNA and the consistent presence of postoperative VEGF mRNA may predict the recurrence and metastasis HCC following liver transplantation.
ObjectiveTo investigate pathological changes of liver and risk factors for hepatic injury after trauma, in order to provide the instructions for clinical liver transplantation and accumulate the pathological data. MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 142 patients who died after trauma between January 2010 and December 2014. Based on whether the patients had acute liver damage before dying, they were divided into two groups. The observation group had liver damage before dying, while the control group had not. Combined with the details of trauma, clinical data and autopsy results, we statistically analyzed the pathological changes of liver and risk factors for acute liver damage, including age, gender, trauma kind, trauma site, interval between trauma and hospitalization, damage degree, length of hypotension, the use of more than two vasopressors, large amount of blood transfusion, and complication of shock, infection, or underlying diseases. According to injury severity score (ISS) system, the damage degree was divided into mild damage (ISS<16), moderate damage (ISS≥16 and<25), and severe damage (ISS≥25). ResultsAmong the 142 patients, there were 45 in the observation group with varying degrees of liver cell necrosis, among whom there were 8 mild cases, 14 moderate and 23 severe. There were 97 patients in the control group without acute liver damage, and no significant changes were found in their hepatic tissue. Liver damage was not correlated with age, gender, damage kind, damage site, or pre-hospital time (P>0.05), while it was corrected with the degree of damage, time of hypotension (≥0.5 hour), the use of more than two vasopressors, large amount of blood transfusion (2 000 mL/24 hours), and combination of shock, infection, and other disease except for cardiac and pulmonary diseases (P<0.05). ConclusionWhen using donor livers from patients dying from trauma for transplantation, physicians should be alert to the factors discussed previously which can increase the risk of hepatic injury. Biopsy is useful to assess the suitability of donor livers prior to transplantation.
Objective To review the advances of livingrelated liver transplantation for children. MethodsOn the basis of the data in Kyoto university, the center of livingrelated liver transplantation in the world, the current situation of livingrelated liver transplantation for children were investigated. ResultsEighty percent of patients who underwent the livingrelated liver transplantation were children with cholestatic liver disease. From the data of 462 cases, the patients’survival rate for 1, 3 and 5 years after livingrelated liver transplantation (79.8%, 77.0% and 77.0% respectively) preceded the survival rate of 129 patients who underwent the whole liver transplantation (76.0%, 70.0% and 65.0% respectively). To the livingrelated liver transplantation, the survival rate was higher for patients who underwent selective operation (85.0%) than emergency surgery (67.0%). The principal causes of death were rejection and infection. Furthermore, a partial orthotopic liver transplantation and livingrelated liver replantation were performed for children. Conclusion Strict indication, optimal health status and perfect postoperative management are the keys to keep patients longterm healthy survival. The curative effect of livingrelated liver transplantation precedes the whole liver transplantation. For children, livingrelated liver transplantation is better than for adults.
Objective To Investigate the indications, surgical technique and perioperative management of orthotopic liver transplantation.Methods Orthotopic liver transplantation was successfully performed on a unresectable liver cancer on caudate lobe, 2 cases with Caroli’s disease and 7 cases with advanced liver cirrohosis. A 11 year’s old girl with Caroli’s disease was performed on one reduced size liver transplantation (RSLT). Results The recovery of liver graft function was good after the operation in those patients without perioperative death. The case of liver cancer died of recurrent cancer on the 139th postoperative day, 1 case died of severe fungus infection and one died of gastric stress ulcer perforation, other 7 cases recovered well without complications. Conclusion The results suggest that unresectable central liver cancer, terminal liver cirrohosis or benign liver diseases combined with severe liver disfunction are good indications for liver transplantation. Good surgical technique and perioperative management are key points to succucess of the liver transplantation.
Objective To observe the expression of heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) in human liver after hepatic transplantation, and to study its correlation with the occurrence and progression of acute allograft rejection.Methods Fifteen biopsy specimen of allograft liver after transplantation were collected and divided into three groups according to their pathological changes: control group (no rejection), mild acute rejection group, and moderate/serious acute rejection group. The expressions of HSP70 in grafts were detected by using immunohistochemical method and imaging analysis. Results HSP70 was expressed in all 3 groups, and appeared mainly in hepatocellular cytoplasm. The immunohistochemical imaging analysis of HSP70 showed: integral optical density (IOD) which was 30.99±11.14 in the control group was lower than that in the mild acute rejection group (68.84±21.37) and that in the moderate/serious acute rejection group (71.82±19.99), P＜0.01； and the IOD in the moderate/serious acute rejection group was higher than that in the mild acute rejection group (P＜0.05). Conclusion HSP70 plays a role in cellular protection for allograft liver, and the continuously increasing expression of HSP70 in graft maybe closely relates to the occurrence and progression of acute allograft rejection.
【Abstract】ObjectiveTo establish the stable model of orthtopic liver transplantation in rats.MethodsIn the light of Kamada’s method, the donor’s liver was perfused through portal vein before it was harvested,and the anastomosis was modified as continous suture with one suture for the suprahepatic inferior vena cava. Two hundred and ten orthotopic liver transplantations were performed in Wistar male rats according to this method. ResultsThe mean time of donor operation was 35 min, and that of recipient operation was 51 min. The mean cold preserving time of graft was 60 min.The anhepatic phase was about 17 min 〔(17.6±4.5) min〕. Nineteen rats died during operation. The causes of death included: bleeding of suprahepatic inferior vena cava, infrahepatic vena cava thrombosis, biliary obstruction, portal vein constriction and thrombosis, liver injury, bleeding of left subphrenic vein, infection, excessively deep anesthesia and respiratory failure. The 24hour survival was 91.0%(191/210),and the oneweek survival was 85.2%（179/210）.ConclusionThrough the modification of the anastomosis of suprahepatic inferior vena cava, the nonhepatic time of the recipients could be shortened,and the complications could be decreased. In this way, the survival of recipient rats after liver transplantation could be increased.
Objective To investigate the effect of pre-infusion with allogeneic lymphocytes treated by 5-FU on inducting immune tolerance of liver transplantation in rats. Methods Wistar and SD rats were used as liver transplantation donors and recipients, respectively. They were divided into 4 groups as following: control group: liver was transplanted from Wistar to SD rats without any other treatment; lymphocytes group: recipient was pre-infused lymphocytes （5×106 cell/ml, 1 ml） from Wistar rat 7 d and 4 d separately before transplantation; low concentration of 5-FU with lymphocytes group: lymphocytes were treated by 5-FU (7.5 μg) before pre-infusion; high concentration of 5-FU with lymphocytes group: lymphocytes were treated by 5-FU (15 μg) before pre-infusion. Pathological changes were observed on day 7 after liver transplantation. Results Acute slight rejection was observed in low concentration of 5-FU with lymphocytes group: liver cell cords were well-arranged basically, hepatic lobules structures could be observed, a few inflammatory cells infiltrated around central veins, and a few lymphocytes infiltrated around portal area. Acute severe rejection was observed in control group, and acute moderate rejection was observed in high concentration of 5-FU with lymphocytes group and lymphocytes group. Conclusion Pre-infusion of lymphocytes treated with low level 5-FU can induce immune tolerance better in recipients after liver transplantation.
Objective To observe the changes of blood biochemistry during orthotopic liver transplantation in pigs. Methods Fourteen healthy pigs were anesthetized and intubated, the right carotic artery was cannulated for blood pressure monitoring and blood biochemical sampling. The right internal jugular vein was cannulated for central venous pressure monitoring. No exogenous glucose was administrated during operation, the donor liver was perfused with Collin’s solution. During the anhepatic stage, the veno-venous bypass was established, blood was pumped from the portal and femoral veins using an extracorporeal circuit, and returned to the axillary vein. The arterial blood was sampled for monitoring arterial blood gas tensions, Na＋,K＋,Ca2＋, and blood glucose levels.Results During preanhepatic stage, blood glucose levels increased progressively, blood electrolytes and acidbase balance were stable. During anhepatic stage, pH was decreased, base deficit was increased significantly, blood glucose levels were significantly decreased, blood electrolytes were stable. During neohepatic stage, acidosis became more severe, blood potassium increased abruptly on reperfusin of the grafted liver, blood glucose was higher than that in prehepatic and anhepatic stage. Conclusion During operation of liver transplantation, metabolic acidosis developed progressively, blood glucose decreased in anhepatic stage, blood glucose and potassium increased significantly on reperfusion of the grafted liver.
Objective To evaluate the outcome of liver transplantation in patients with recurrent liver cancer after resection. Methods Data of 23 patients underwent liver transplantation for recurrent liver cancer from April 2001 to March 2008 were retrospectively collected and analyzed. Results Previous history of liver resection had little negative effect in subsequent liver transplantation in technical aspect. Liver function recovered uneventfully after transplantation in all cases. Alpha fetoprotein (AFP) recovered to normal value in 13 of 17 cases with elevated AFP before transplantation within one month after operation. Five cases (21.74%) had postoperative complications. Nineteen cases (82.61%) were followed up, average follow-up duration were 610 days. There were 5 cases (26.32%) of cancer recurrence and 6 deaths during follow-up, survival rate was 68.42%. Conclusion Liver transplantation is a reasonable treatment for recurrent liver cancer after resection.