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Ординатура / Хирургия / Библиотека им академика М.И. Перельмана / Книга_616_Библиотеки_им_академика_М_И_Перельмана

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PORTAL HYPERTENSION 419
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FIG. 2 Diagnosis of liver disease at the time of listing.
or liver damage, a condition called nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). It is unclear why 25% of patients with NAFLD go on to develop NASH. Both NASH and NAFLD are becoming more common, possibly because of the greater number of Americans with obesity. In the past 15 years, the rate of obesity has doubled in adults and tripled in children. NASH is now the second leading indication for liver transplantation in the United States in 2021 (19%).
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide and the one of the leading causes of death in patients with cirrhosis. The incidence has more than dou­bled in the past two decades and will continue to increase over the next 20 years. HCC is the third most common indication for liver transplantation in 2021. HCC is associated with cirrhosis in nearly 90% of the cases in the United States, and when caught early, liver transplantation is the best chance for cure. A landmark paper in 1996 showed that for small HCCs, the outcomes following transplantation are excellent if they fall within certain criteria. Since the publication came from a group in Milan, it has become known as the Milan criteria. Milan criteria includes HCC candidates with stage T1 (one lesion <2 cm) or stage T2 (one lesion ≥2 cm but <5 cm, or as many as three lesions less than 3 cm each without any vascular invasion). These favorable results established early HCC as a viable indication for transplantation, resulting in changes in organ allocation that have favored transplanting patients with HCC. Even in patients who may appear to be resectable, 5-year disease-free survival is vastly better following transplantation (82%) compared with resection (40%, P <0.001).
In 2002, the United Network of Organ Sharing (UNOS) changed the allocation of livers from a Child-Pugh categorized system to a Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD)-based system that focuses on severity of disease and de-emphasizes waiting time. With the new policy, HCC candidates with stage T1 or stage T2 HCC have priority beyond the degree of hepatic decompensation. The MELD “upgrade” given to HCC patients increases their MELD score at listing reflecting a mortality associated with their cancer rather than liver disease. Currently, there is a 6-month mandatory waiting period for eligible patients meeting criteria. Although HCC upgrades have undergone several revisions, in 2021 a MELD upgrade is defined as the median MELD score at transplant (MMaT) within a 250–nautical
mile radius of the transplant center minus 3. In other words, if the median MELD at transplant is 31 for a specific area, the patient with HCC would receive 28 MELD points after a 6-month waiting period no matter what his or her calculated laboratory MELD score is.
Cholangiocarcinoma, long considered a contraindication to transplantation, is reemerging as an indication, especially in patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). Early publications in the 1990s showed a 20% to 25% 5-year survival, with no improvement of neoadjuvant or adjuvant therapy. A sentinel paper from the Mayo clinic appeared in 2005 that showed an 82% 5-year survival for patients who underwent a neoadjuvant chemo/radiation protocol followed by transplantation. The protocol was very selective and included only patients with small hilar tumors and excluded patients with previously attempted resections or those with extrahepatic disease on a protocol exploratory laparotomy. The study was criti­cized because of the loose diagnostic criteria that may have included PSC patients without cancer. In this study, 16 of the 38 patients (42%) transplanted showed no evidence of cancer on the explant. Skepticism was abated, however, when a multicenter trial with 12 participating centers showed similar results. This trial included a larger number of non-PSC patients (71) and PSC patients (143) who underwent liver transplantation for perihilar cholangiocarcinoma. The 10-year recurrence-free survival was 51% and 62%, respectively (P =0.06). Although not as impressive as the initial Mayo Clinic report, the outcomes are significantly more favorable than most of the surgical resection reports. The 5-year survival for the cohort is even better (72%) if UNOS criteria are met (initial hilar mass <3 cm, no evidence extrahepatic or lymph node disease on protocol explo­ration). Based on these two studies, UNOS now assigns a MELD upgrade for patients with hilar cholangiocarcinoma who meet crite­ria, similar to HCC patients.
MELD
The MELD was first developed to predict survival in patients with complications of portal hypertension undergoing elective place­ment of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunts. The MELD score uses objective variables and has been shown to be an accurate predictor of survival among different populations of patients with advanced liver disease. The formula to calculate MELD is based on 3
420 LIVER TRANSPLANTATION
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Predicted Probability of Death
1.0
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variables found to significantly impact survival and their regression coefficients, the creatinine, bilirubin, and INR:
0.957 LogCr0.378 Logbili1.120
LogINR 0.643 10e]
Since the MELD accurately predicts survival in patients with cirrhosis who have infections, variceal bleeding, cholestatic diseases, acute liver failure, and alcoholic hepatitis, it has been modified by UNOS and used to prioritize patients for liver transplantation. The modification for transplant maximizes the score at 40 and assigns a creatinine of 4 mg/dL for patients on renal replacement therapy. The 3-month predicted mortality associated with the MELD score is depicted in Table 1.
Several studies have since shown that the addition of serum sodium into the MELD score (MELD-Na) predicts waiting list mor­tality better than the MELD alone. The inclusion of serum sodium into the MELD score allowed for a predictive increase in 7% fewer
TABLE 1 MELD Mortality Equivalents
MELD 3-Month Mortality
7 1% 20 8% 24 10% 26 15% 29 20% 31 30% 33 40% 35 50% 37 60% 38 70% 40 90%
MELD, Model for End-Stage Liver Disease.
deaths with transplantation eligibility for the end-stage liver pop­ulation. Therefore, in January 2016, the UNOS listing policy was updated to include serum sodium as a factor in the calculation of the MELD score:
MELD NaMELDNa0.025 MELD 140 Na 140=−−× ×−
+
A recent study used the largest UNOS database of listed patients with decompensated cirrhosis in the United States to demonstrate the MELD-Na. MELD-Na carries a strong predicted value for 6-month mortality with a c-statistic of 0.83, similar to its predicted value for 90-day mortality. This finding is important as it includes patients with severe complications of portal hypertension that are often excluded from prior calculations and who carry increased mortality (Fig. 3).
Waiting List Additions, Removals, and Transplantation
In the past 15 years, the number of patients added yearly to the trans­plant waiting list has increased from 8055 in 1996 to 13,803 in 2021. The number of deceased donor transplants performed increased initially as acceptable donor criteria expanded, but remained flat between 2005 and 2013. As a result, mortality on the waiting list increased during this time. However, when allocation of livers changed in 2013 to include broader regional sharing of donors for patients with MELD 35 or higher, mortality decreased and the number of deceased donor transplants increased (Fig. 4). In 2021, there were 8667 deceased donor transplants and 569 living donor transplants performed in the United States.
LIVER TRANSPLANTATION
Techniques
The techniques of hepatectomy and implantation have changed over time. The first attempts at liver transplantation utilized venous-ve­nous bypass (VVP), which in itself has evolved to include a centrif­ugal pump and heparin-coated cannulas, thereby eliminating some of the fatal pulmonary embolisms initially encountered. In 1998, Chari et al. reported that 95% of the centers were using VVP at least during the anhepatic phase. However, VVP is fading away as more and more centers successfully adopt caval preservation and partial clamping techniques.
0.9
0.8
0.7
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
6111621
26 31 36
MELD-Na
FIG. 3 Predicted probabilities of death at 6 months against
the new Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD-Na) scores.
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AB
cava
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FIG. 4 Waitlist additions, deaths, and liver transplants over time. (Data from the United States Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network [OPTN]).
Diseased liver
removed
Gall bladder
removed
Inf.
vena
FIG. 5 Classic bicaval anastomosis. The native liver is resected together with the retrohepatic inferior vena cava (IVC) and orthotopically replaced by a
donor liver that includes the IVC. (Illustration Copyright 1998–2003 by The Johns Hopkins Health System Corporation and The Johns Hopkins University; from the Johns Hopkins Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology [www.hopkinsmedicine.org/gi]. Illustration created by Mike Linkinhoker.)
Hepatic a.
Portal v.
Common bile duct
Bicaval anastomosis
With this conventional technique, the native liver is resected together with the retrohepatic inferior vena cava (IVC) and orthotopically replaced by a donor liver that includes the IVC (Fig.
5). The native hepatectomy begins with dissection of the hepatic
hilum. The dissection isolates the left and right hepatic arteries, which are divided separately. The proper hepatic artery (HA) is dissected beyond the gastroduodenal artery to the common HA because a patch of the gastroduodenal artery and the common HA is often used for subsequent arterial anastomosis. The cystic duct is divided followed by the division of the common duct closer to the hilum to obtain maximal length on the duct. What is left at this point is the portal vein (PV) with surrounding lymphatic tissue. The vein is skeletonized from its bifurcation toward the pancreas, often to the first pancreatic branch. Several centimeters of vein are necessary to allow placement of a clamp or for cannulation with
Donor liver
transplanted
Anastomoses
VVP. PV division is not performed until the liver is completely mobilized. This includes dividing the left and right triangular liga­ments, mobilizing the right lobe off the diaphragm, and dissecting the retrohepatic IVC to completely mobilize it posteriorly. The adrenal vein is often divided to obtain adequate mobility of the IVC for clamping.
Complete venous clamping with or without VVP is necessary. Complete IVC and PV clamping can result in important hemody­namic consequences with decreased venous return, congestion in the caval and splanchnic bed, as well as decreased renal function. This should be performed when the hepatectomy is nearly complete because the congestion leads to increased bleeding during hepa­tectomy. For this reason, VVP was introduced in the mid-1980s. However, as anesthetic conditioning improved, VVP can be avoided, especially when the vascular anastomoses are done expediently. Two IVC anastomoses are required: one suprahepatic and one infrahe­patic end to end.
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Altered anatomy
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Piggyback Technique
In 1989, Tzakis et al. popularized the technique of orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) with preservation of the IVC, called the piggyback technique. This technique involves complete mobiliza­tion of the liver off the IVC, including the hepatic veins that are individually oversewn. In the Tzakis report, the transplant was still performed with the use of a VVB. Venous outflow reconstruction was performed between the suprahepatic donor IVC and a com­mon orifice created by opening of the native right, middle, and left hepatic veins, or just the middle and left. Several studies, including a randomized trial, favored the piggyback technique over the tra­ditional bicaval technique, with a shorter anhepatic phase, reduced blood loss, and reduced cost of the procedure in favor of the piggy­back technique.
Modified Piggyback Technique
Several reports describing a venous outflow complication rate of up to 5% appeared. These complications included graft congestion and stenosis of the caval anastomosis. For this reason, modifica­tions of the piggyback technique became more popular. In 1992, a
Piggyback transplant
side-to-side anastomosis between donor and recipient IVC without the routine use of VVB was described. In this modification, both the suprahepatic and infrahepatic end of the donor IVC is closed, and the anastomosis is created between two new incisions—one made on the recipient IVC and another on the donor IVC (Fig. 6). Cherqui introduced another venous outflow reconstruction. He enlarged the common orifice of three hepatic veins by a caudal incision on the anterior wall of the recipient IVC and anastomosed it with the suprahepatic end of the donor IVC (end-to-side anasto­mosis). This technique was further modified by closing all hepatic veins and creating an anastomosis between a new incision on the anterior wall of recipient IVC and a V-shape incision on the donor IVC to avoid stricturing of the outflow anastomosis. In certain situations when the suprahepatic IVC cuff is very short, such as in domino LT or in case of outflow complications after piggyback implantation, some authors advocate the use of the infrahepatic cavocaval anastomosis.
Although there are studies comparing the different piggyback techniques, the essential message is to extend the cavostomy on the recipient to create a wide caval anastomosis and avoid some of
FIG. 6 Modified piggyback technique. In this modification, both the suprahepatic and infrahepatic ends of the donor inferior vena cava (IVC) are closed,
and the anastomosis is created between two new incisions—one made on the recipient IVC and another on the donor IVC. In this modification, all hepatic veins are sewn over, and a new incision on the anterior wall of recipient IVC is made. (From Elyssa Siegel, Art as Applied to Medicine, Johns Hopkins
University.)
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the venous stricturing complications that ultimately lead to Budd­Chiari syndrome. One thing is clear however; avoiding VVB with caval-preserving techniques is becoming the norm in many liver transplant centers.
Vascular Reconstruction
The PV reconstruction is usually performed end to end with fine polypropylene suture. There are several important technical considerations to uphold to avoid either stenosis or kinking that can ultimately lead to portal vein thrombosis (PVT). A technique that Starzl initially described is allowing for a “growth factor” when tying after circumferentially running the suture. This allows expansion of the anastomosis to accommodate the distention that occurs when flow is reestablished. Failure to incorporate the growth factor will result in an “hourglass” anastomosis that may be prone to stenosis and thrombosis. The second concept is related to the length. Typically during a liver transplant the operative field is expanded with the use of surgical retractors. This must be taken into account in assessing the length of the donor PV. It is not uncommon to find the PV kinking once the retractors are removed because it was sewn with too much donor length. To avoid this problem, many surgeons will minimize the retraction inferiorly and place laparotomy pads above the liver to bring the liver down before performing the PV anastomosis. If this problem does occur, then it is important to redo the anastomosis after cutting an adequate amount of donor PV. This can be done with minimal hepatic sequelae if performed expediently in the presence of arterial perfusion.
PV Reconstruction in the Presence of Native PV Thrombosis
PVT is being increasingly recognized in patients with advanced cirrhosis and in those undergoing liver transplantation. Reduced portal flow and hypercoagulability that occurs with advanced liver disease is probably responsible for clotting in the spleno-porto-mes­enteric venous system. The prevalence of PVT in patients without hepatocellular carcinoma has been reported to be as high as 25% in ultrasound-based studies, with the overall incidence increasing to nearly 40% with time. PVT was long considered a contraindica­tion to liver transplantation, but as reports with favorable outcomes appeared, this is no longer the case. Techniques of native PV throm­bectomy have been well described with success rates exceeding 95%. The thrombus often extends to the confluence of the splenic and mesenteric veins often sparing at least the SMV. For this reason, thrombectomy is more successful when the dissection during the hepatectomy is carried out beyond the confluence to reach the tail of the thrombus. Although some authors advocate the use of Fogarty balloons, the clot is often organized and adherent to the vein wall. The extent of the clot can be manually and visually examined. If the thrombus completely occludes portal flow, the PV can be divided at the right and left confluence with the edges held apart using tonsil clamps. This allows the surgeon to separate the clot and the attached intimal layer from the media of the vein circumferentially using a dura elevator. This maneuver is extended as far as necessary, fre­quently entering the splenic and superior mesenteric veins (SMVs). The free edge of the clot is then clamped with a tonsil or ring clamp and gently rotated and pulled out. Because hypercoagulability is considered a risk factor for PVT, the recipients are often placed on full-dose daily aspirin before discharge. With this technique, a bypass graft from the SMV utilizing a donor iliac vein to reestablish PV inflow is rarely necessary.
In cases of massive portal system thrombosis that involves the SMV and splenic vein, salvage revascularization techniques have been described. Cavoportal hemitransposition has been described by Tzakis when no portal inflow can be achieved. This technique involves ligating (either completely or partially) the infrahepatic
recipient IVC. The PV anastomosis is either done end to end inferior to the point of ligation or end to side with partial ligation. Overall survival was poor, so this should be reserved only as a salvage pro­cedure intraoperatively.
Arterial Reconstruction
The arterial reconstruction is usually a direct anastomosis between the donor and recipient HA in an end-to-end fashion. The anasto­mosis should involve Carrel patches on the donor and recipient ends to decrease the incidence of hepatic artery thrombosis (HAT). The donor artery typically involves the entire celiac trunk with a patch of aorta. This is sewn to a Carrel patch created by the recipient gastro­duodenal artery and the proper HA coming off the common HA. In cases in which donor arteriopathy exists, it is important to shorten the artery to a segment free from disease. A donor patch can also be made using the splenic artery takeoff if the remainder of the artery is disease free.
In other cases, the recipient HA is unsuitable for use because of poor inflow from more proximal stenosis, atherosclerosis, or intimal dissection. Options include dissecting more proximally on the recip­ient artery beyond the takeoff of the splenic artery. If the inflow is adequate at that point, an end-to-side anastomosis to both the celiac and splenic artery confluence can be achieved while preserving flow to the spleen. Alternatively, an end-to-end anastomosis to the celiac can be performed while sacrificing the splenic artery. Although this is an appropriate alternative especially in re-transplants, splenic infarcts and abscesses can result. The most common method to deal with poor arterial inflow is the use of arterial conduit directly from the aorta using a donor iliac artery graft. For this reason, a donor iliac graft is always procured with the liver. The anastomosis can be done to either the supraceliac or infrarenal aorta. The infrarenal aorta is more commonly used because it is safer and easier to access. The graft is commonly tunneled antepancreatic and retrogastric/ retrocolic. The infrarenal aorta, however, is more prone to calcifi­cation and atherosclerotic disease, especially in older adult patients. The supraceliac aorta is easy to access after the hepatectomy, so it may be used in cases in which arterial reconstruction is planned (e.g., retransplantation with HAT). However, the supraceliac aorta does not hold sutures as well as the infrarenal aorta, and any com­plications with this segment can result in disastrous consequences. The use of arterial conduits is associated with excellent long-term outcomes and low HAT rates.
Aberrant donor arterial anatomy is present up to 25% of the time and must be recognized during the procurement. An accessory or replaced right HA arising from the SMA is often preserved by procuring the SMA trunk with the celiac. The artery can then be reconstructed on the backtable before implantation. A left acces­sory or replaced HA arising from the left gastric should also be preserved, although no reconstruction is necessary because it arises from the celiac trunk. Backtable preparation of the accessory left HA requires careful dissection of the left gastric with ligation of all of its branches.
Biliary Anastomosis
The two main techniques of biliary tract reconstruction are direct duct-to-duct and Roux-en-Y hepatico or choledochojejunostomy. If the recipient duct is normal, a duct-to-duct anastomosis is preferable. This preserves the native physiology and anatomy and allows future biliary access via endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). The end-to-end anastomosis is commonly performed with either running or interrupted dissolvable sutures. When a significant size discrepancy exists, a side-to-side anastomosis can be used. Both techniques are acceptable and yield equivalent results.
Roux-en-Y reconstruction is often needed in retransplantation or for patients with PSC. The routine use of Roux-en-Y anastomosis for PSC, however, has become a topic of controversy as many are now
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TABLE 2 Patient and Graft Survival Following Liver
Transplantation
1 Year 3 Year 5 Year
PATIENT SURVIVAL (%)
Deceased donor 91.2 82.8 75.1 Living donor 92.3 88.4 83.9
GRAFT SURVIVAL (%)
Deceased donor 89.1 80.0 71.8 Living donor 88.0 82.0 77.3
advocating direct duct-to-duct anastomosis in PSC patients with normal-appearing ducts.
The routine use of T-tubes during biliary anastomosis has been challenged for over a decade and has lost favor in the majority of transplant centers. Several pivotal trials have shown that the inci­dence of biliary complications is actually lower when T-tubes are not used. Duct-to-duct biliary anastomosis, whether end to end or side to side, should be done without any biliary tubes.
OUTCOMES
Despite a progressive increase in the severity of liver disease in trans­plant recipients, graft survival continues to improve. The national 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year graft and patient survival for patients transplanted between 2008 and 2015 is depicted in Table 2.
The incidence of acute rejection following liver transplantation is lower than in other groups, decreasing below 10% in most reports. The decline is likely related to increased efficacy of immunosuppres­sion and better monitoring.
is associated with a significant increase in the incidence of primary nonfunction. Information on volumetric flow at the time of opera­tion can either be reassuring or may indicate an unexpected problem, which can be fixed at this time.
Hepatic artery stenosis (HAS) occurs 2% to 10% of the time. Chen et al. reported an overall HAS incidence of 2.8%, with an early (<30 days) HAS incidence of 40% versus a late HAS incidence of 60%. The mean time elapsed between transplantation to diagnosis was 91 days. HAS can lead to an insidious form of graft disorder, both in the early and later postoperative stages. Many patients with HAS are asymptomatic and most commonly present only with mildly elevated liver function tests. Because of the insidious nature of HAS, some centers perform routine screening ultrasound examinations at regular time intervals.
The therapeutic management of HAS includes either surgical revision or percutaneous endovascular interventions, such as percu­taneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) with or without stent place­ment. In one study treating 42 cases of HAS, 81% were successfully treated by PTA, with an incidence of immediate complication of 7% including dissection and arterial rupture. These results compare favorably to surgical approaches, so PTA has become first line ther­apy for HAS.
Venous
Venous complications are less frequent than arterial complications but can also result in graft failure, especially if they occur in the early postoperative period. Endovascular management has become the treatment of choice for the majority of venous complications.
Portal Vein
The incidence of PV complications is low, estimated around 1%. It is more common in pediatric and living donor transplants. The most common complications are portal vein thrombosis (PVT) and portal vein stenosis (PVS).
VASCULAR COMPLICATIONS
Arterial
The interruption or reduction of arterial flow during liver trans­plantation is frequently associated with biliary ischemia and com­plications including bile duct necrosis, liver abscesses, and graft dysfunction. This occurs because of the absence of collaterals in liver transplant recipients. In the native liver, HA thrombosis or ligation is usually well-tolerated because of the abundant arterial collateral sources that avoid ischemia of the liver parenchyma. In contrast, disruption of these collaterals inevitably occurs when performing total hepatectomy for transplant. In cases of hepatic artery throm­bosis (HAT), the allograft often survives as a result of portal flow and portal oxygen. The biliary tree, however, is dependent primarily on arterial flow and is therefore especially sensitive to interruption of arterial blood. Recognition and prompt management of HAT is of great importance for graft and patient survival. The incidence of HAT is 2% to 5%, with about one-half occurring early within the perioperative period, and one-half occurring late. Early HAT inevita­bly leads to graft loss and a high mortality rate. For this reason, when diagnosed, patients often have to be retransplanted. Rarely HAT can be caught shortly after it occurs, and graft failure can be thwarted with thrombectomy and revision or reconstruction of the artery.
Measurement of hepatic arterial flow can be easily accomplished using flowprobes (e.g., Transonic). The flowprobes are placed on the reconstructed artery to gently surround the vessel excluding extrane­ous tissue. By immersing it in saline, a good acoustic contact occurs, and the readings stabilize rapidly with little fluctuation. Hepatic arterial flow is dependent on both cardiac output and portal venous flow. However, it has been shown that arterial flow <200 cc/min is associated with a six fold increase in HAT, and a flow <100 cc/min
PVT
The risk factors for PVT include technical issues (kinking of the PV caused by excess length), preoperative PVT in the recipient requiring intraoperative thrombectomy, hypercoagulability, small PV diameter, and reconstruction with a vein conduit. Early PVT can be devastating and leads to early graft dysfunction and loss, and it is generally less well tolerated than early HAT. Excess length of the PV following anastomosis can easily occur as a result of the presence of retraction during the anastomosis. Once the retractors are released, the operative field collapses, and kinking of the PV can occur. To account for this, laparotomy pads are typically placed behind the dome of the liver, essentially bringing the liver down and facilitating an anastomosis that will not have redundancy. In addition, a “growth factor” is included when tying the final knot to prevent wasting of the anastomosis when flow is reintroduced and the PV expands.
If flow is compromised as a result of any of the aforementioned reasons, then the risk of PVT is increased. It is therefore important to ensure once the retractors are removed that the PV is not kinked or redundant. In addition, measurement of portal venous flow can be easily accomplished using flowprobes. Portal venous flow is dependent on cardiac output and graft size. The range is wide, but in general PV flow should exceed 1 L/min to minimize the risks of PVT. PV hyperperfusion can affect arterial flow, but it is usually only problematic with small grafts and living donor liver transplantation (LDLT).
PVS
PVS is a rare complication of liver transplantation primarily because the majority of patients with PVS are asymptomatic. PVS is a bigger problem in pediatric and living donor transplants because size mis­match is more likely to lead to technical issues that result in PVS.
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When PVS does occur, the management is dependent on the timing. Early PVS within the perioperative period should be approached surgically. Late PVS is more amenable to percutaneous approaches, either transhepatic or transjugular. Percutaneous balloon dilation has been reported with good success and has become the treatment of choice. Asymptomatic PVS noted on ultrasound without any graft dysfunction should be observed without any intervention necessary.
Biliary Complications
The most common type of biliary reconstruction is a choledocho­choledochostomy (duct-to-duct anastomosis). Choledochojejunos­tomy is sometimes necessary in cases in which the native bile duct is diseased or unusable, such as with patients with PSC or redo liver transplants. Duct-to-duct anastomosis has several advantages. The sphincter of Oddi function is preserved, which plays a role in decreasing the risk of ascending cholangitis, and it also allows easy endoscopic access to the biliary tree for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes.
Bile Leak
Bile leaks occurs early up to 20% of the time following liver trans­plantation. The majority are self-limiting and seal within a few days without any further intervention as long as the leaks are well drained. If the leaks are not well drained, patients could present with abdominal pain, fever, or any sign of peritonitis. Ultrasound or CT scan can often identify a biloma or fluid collection near the porta hepatis, which should raise the suspicion highly. Once bile leak is suspected, ERCP with sphincterotomy and stent placement becomes the diagnostic and therapeutic procedure of choice, assum­ing there are no intraoperatively placed biliary tubes at the time of anastomosis. The success rate often exceeds 85%, and no further treatment is necessary. In the event that a bile leak is more extensive or involves necrosis of the distal donor duct, surgical reconstruction is necessary to avoid biliary strictures that will become problematic in the future.
Bile Duct Strictures
Biliary stricture is also a common biliary complication, occurring up to 15% of the time with deceased donor transplants. Strictures are classified as anastomotic strictures and non-anastomotic strictures. The approach to each is markedly different, so it is important to distinguish the two. Anastomotic strictures early in the postopera­tive period are often related to technical issues, including surgical techniques, small-caliber ducts, or burn injury from electrocautery.
Later-onset anastomotic strictures are most likely related to isch­emia at the end of the donor duct, leading to fibrotic healing. Non-anastomotic strictures are likely caused by ischemia secondary to preservation injury, donation after cardiac death, prolonged use of vasopressors, rejection, HA insufficiency, or recurrent disease.
Although magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) has high sensitivity and specificity, the diagnostic procedure of choice is ERCP because therapeutic options are often required. For anastomotic strictures, balloon dilation with stent placement is more successful than without stent placement. The stents are gen­erally replaced by larger stents every 3 months to prevent clogging, cholangitis, or stone formation. Serial dilation with dual or multiple stents will prove successful in the vast majority of patients. Surgical intervention is rarely necessary.
Management of patients with nonanastomotic strictures is more difficult as these are prone to developing sludge, casts, and stones, rendering plastic stents less effective. The recent use of metallic wall stents may improve the success of endoscopic management of these strictures. If the disease is limited to the extrahepatic ducts, surgical revision is necessary and requires conversion to a Roux-en-Y hepa­ticojejunostomy. If the intrahepatic ducts are also involved, retrans­plantation may be necessary.
LIVING DONOR LIVER
TRANSPLANTATION
LDLT for pediatric recipients was introduced in 1989 to overcome the severe shortage of deceased donor organs across the world. In 1993, Tanaka et al. reported the first adult-to-adult right liver LDLT using a right lobe, making liver transplantation feasible for adults in areas of the world where deceased donors are very limited. Since then, living donor grafts for adults have expanded to include right lobes with the middle hepatic vein and left lobes. The centers embarking on LDLT often face ethical issues regarding donor safety when a healthy adult must undergo a complicated major surgery without receiving any health benefit. The complication rate after LDLT ranges widely in the literature between 10% and 50% depending on the severity. Unfortunately, there have been a number of deaths after living dona­tion. The risk of death is estimated to be 0.2% to 0.5% with left lobe donation and 0.3% to 1% with right lobe donation. Because of this as well as a highly publicized death of a living donor in New York City, enthusiasm in the United States waned in 2001 and remained flat for the next 13 years. As the world experience for adult-to-adult LDLTs increased exponentially, the added knowledge and improved techniques resurrected living donation in the United States, resulting
Geometry analysis of hepatic vein
FIG. 7 Three-dimensional reconstruction to assess a living donor liver graft.
RT lobe Vol. (cm3)
LT lobe Vol. (cm
RT Middle HV Branches Vol. (cm
3
)
3
)
505.52 (31%)
658.77 (40%)
480.99 (29%)
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in a two fold increase in the number performed annually (see Fig. 4). The 5-year survival is the same for LDLTs and deceased donor trans­plants (see Table 2).
Graft function following LDLT is highly dependent on graft volume. Although left lobe donation is associated with a lower mor­tality rate, left lobe volumes are typically smaller, and small-for-size syndrome is more prevalent, especially in the face of significant portal hypertension. As a result, right lobe grafts have been used more commonly in adults. Previous literature has suggested that a graft weight/recipient weight ratio ≥0.8% and a graft weight/standard liver volume ratio of 40% are the safe limits for donor graft size to avoid small-for-size syndrome. Small-for-size syndrome is defined as prolonged cholestasis with ascites void of technical issues. Imaging techniques to predict vascular anatomy and graft weight include MRI with IV contrast and or fine-cut CT with IV contrast. There are multiple software companies that reconstruct the CT or MRI images three-dimensionally to allow the surgeon to more precisely assess graft volume including which segmental drainage of the liver (Fig. 7). These three-dimensional analyses enable the surgical team to better plan resection lines and need for venous reconstruction. Parenchymal transection for right lobe grafts is typically performed immediately to the right of the middle hepatic vein (Fig. 8). Large branches from segment V or VIII draining to the middle hepatic vein may need to be reconstructed to avoid hepatic congestion (Fig. 9).
FIG. 8 Parenchymal transection to the right of the middle hepatic vein.
FIG. 9 Right lobe graft after reperfusion with reconstruction of segment
V vein.
Biliary complications have been the Achilles heel of LDLTs. Bili­ary anatomy is highly variable, and the need to anastomose two bile ducts is not uncommon. As a result, the leak and stricture rate can be as high as 30%, higher than for deceased donor transplants.
Despite the technical challenges and higher graft complications, LDLT remains a life-saving procedure for patients with end-stage liver disease.
S U G G E S T E D R E A D I N G S
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Endoscopic Therapy for Esophageal Variceal Hemorrhage
Julie A. Conyers, MD
PORTAL HYPERTENSION AND VARICES
Hemorrhage resulting from rupture of gastroesophageal varices is one of the most lethal complications of portal hypertension. Portal hypertension is a common clinical syndrome defined by the indirect measurement of the hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) > 10 mm Hg. The HVPG is determined by the difference between the free hepatic venous pressure (FHVP) and the wedged hepatic venous pressure (WHVP) or HVPG = WHVP – FHVP (Fig. 1). HVPG
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Sutton ME, Bense RD, Lisman T, van der Jagt EJ, van den Berg AP, Porte RJ.
Duct-to-duct reconstruction in liver transplantation for primary scleros­ing cholangitis is associated with fewer biliary complications in compari­son with hepaticojejunostomy. Liver Transpl. 2014;20(4):457–463.
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tal hemitransposition in the presence of diffuse portal vein thrombosis. Transplantation. 1998;65(5):619–624.
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arterial conduit as an alternative technique in arterial revascularization during orthotopic liver transplantation. Dig Liver Dis. 2002;34(2):122–
126.
serves as a surrogate measurement of portal pressure in sinusoidal causes of portal hypertension.
Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided measurements of the por­tal pressure gradient (PPG) as the difference between hepatic venous pressure (HVP) and direct portal venous pressure (PVP), or PPG = PVP – HVP, has been recently been described and theoreti­cally may be accurate for presinusoidal, sinusoidal, and postsinusoi­dal etiologies of portal hypertension (Fig. 2).
The development of clinically significant esophageal and gastric varices is the result of porto-systemic collaterals secondary to portal hypertension. As the radius of the variceal vessel increases, wall ten­sion exceeds tissue strength resulting in vessel rupture in accordance with Laplace’s law and Pascal’s principle (Fig. 3). As portal pressure increases, the likelihood of gastroesophageal variceal rupture and hemorrhage also increases.
Although liver cirrhosis is the most common etiology of por­tal hypertension in Western cultures, schistosomiasis is the most
FIG. 1 Hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG). (A) Transjugular wedge balloon for measuring HVPG. (B) HVPG is calculated as the difference between
free hepatic vein pressure (FHVP) and wedged hepatic vein pressure (WHVP), which is a surrogate for portal vein pressure in sinusoidal causes of portal hypertension. (From Jirapinyo P, Thompson CC, Ryou M. Effects of endoscopic gastric plication on portal pressure gradient in a patient with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis
cirrhosis. VideoGIE. 2021;6:491–494.)
428 ENDOSCOPIC THERAPY FOR ESOPHAGEAL VARICEAL HEMORRHAGE
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FIG. 2 Endoscopic ultrasound-guided portal pressure gradient (PPG) measurement. (A) Hepatic venous pressure (HVP) measurement. (B) Portal venous
pressure (PVP) measurement. (C) PPG represents the difference between the PVP and HVP. (From Jirapinyo P, Thompson CC, Ryou M. Effects of endoscopic gastric plication on portal pressure gradient in a patient with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis cirrhosis. VideoGIE. 2021;6:491–494.)
FIG. 3 Laplace’s law and Pascal’s principle. (From HyperPhysics by Rod Nave,
Georgia State University.)
common cause of varices in countries in sub-Saharan Africa, with chronic infection in an estimated 440 million people, resulting in 200,000 deaths annually. Although liver function is often well main­tained in these patients, hemorrhage from varices is the main cause of death. In absolute numbers, varices from schistosomiasis may be more common than liver cirrhosis.
ENDOSCOPIC SCREENING FOR ESOPHAGEAL VARICES
Prospective studies of the natural history of liver cirrhosis have demonstrated that 50% to 90% develop esophageal varices, and 30% will bleed. Bleeding from esophageal varices is associated with a mortality rate of at least 20% at 6 weeks despite spontaneous reso­lution of bleeding in 40% to 50%. Mortality from bleeding episodes depends on the severity of underlying liver disease ranging from less than 10% in patients with Child-Pugh grade A compared with over 70% in patients with advanced Child-Pugh grade C. Patients with very high portal pressure (HVPG >20 mm Hg) are at higher risk of rebleeding within 1 week of hemorrhage, have up to 84% risk of failure to control initial bleeding, and demonstrate a 1-year mortality rate of 64%.
TABLE 1 EGD Surveillance for Cirrhosis
Patient EGD Findings Repeat EGD
Compensated Cirrhosis No Varices Every 2–3 years Compensated Cirrhosis Small Varices Every 1–2 years Decompensated Cirrhosis Ye ar ly
In patients diagnosed with liver cirrhosis, the gold standard for screening for gastroesophageal varices is by esophagogastroduo­denoscopy (EGD). Varices <5 mm are considered small. Findings at risk for bleeding include varices >5 mm and red whale mark­ings. Figure 4 demonstrates the spectrum of esophageal varices.
Table 1 summarizes EGD surveillance consensus recommendations
in patients with cirrhosis.
PRIMARY PREVENTION
The strategy for preventing variceal hemorrhage is either by decreas­ing portal hypertension with nonselective β-blockers (NSBBs), carvedilol, or by endoscopic variceal ligation (EVL). NSBBs may help reduce the progression from small to large varices and the risk of mortality from hemorrhage, but they often are not well tolerated. Also, one must use caution with NSBBs in patients with refrac­tory ascites. Carvedilol is a NSBB with mild anti-α decreasing hepatic vascular resistance. However, carvedilol tends to drop mean arterial pressure (MAP), but may be more effective than EVL in preventing a first bleed if tolerated. The use of isosorbide mononitrate (ISMN) in randomized controlled trials demonstrated higher mortality rates in patients who received ISMN. Consensus among experts is that NSBB and EVL have similar efficacy in pre­venting a first esophageal bleed, and there is no benefit to combining the two treatments. Table 2 summarizes primary prevention thera- pies for esophageal hemorrhage.
If β-blockers are not tolerated, elective EVL is an option to prevent esophageal variceal hemorrhage. Banding is recommended only in the distal 5 cm of the esophagus, where the varices are more superfi­cial. Banding more proximal may result in delayed hemorrhage from
effect, thereby
1