Side‐to‐side cavocavostomy with an endovascular stapler: Rescue technique for severe hepatic vein and/or inferior vena cava outflow obstruction after liver transplantation using the piggyback technique

Cristiano Quintini, Charles M. Miller, Koji Hashimoto, Ding Philip, Teresa Diago Uso, Federico Aucejo, Dympna Kelly, Charles Winans, Bijan Eghtesad, David Vogt, John Fung – 24 December 2008 – Venous outflow obstruction is a rare but potentially lethal complication after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) with the “piggyback” technique. Therapeutic options include angioplasty with or without stent placement, surgical reconstruction of the venous anastomosis, and retransplantation. Surgical options are technically very challenging and the outcomes discouraging.

Health‐related quality of life and employment status of liver transplant patients

Fredrik Åberg, Anne M. Rissanen, Harri Sintonen, Risto P. Roine, Krister Höckerstedt, Helena Isoniemi – 24 December 2008 – Health‐related quality of life (HRQoL) is one preferable outcome measure of medical interventions such as liver transplantation (LT). The aim of this study was to compare HRQoL of LT patients with that of the general population and to assess the employment status of LT patients. HRQoL was measured with the 15D instrument, a validated, non–disease‐specific, 15‐dimensional, self‐administered HRQoL instrument.

Long‐term antiviral therapy for recurrent hepatitis C after liver transplantation in nonresponders: Biochemical, virological, and histological impact

Thomas Walter, Jean‐Yves Scoazec, Olivier Guillaud, Valérie Hervieu, Philippe Chevallier, Olivier Boillot, Jérôme Dumortier – 24 December 2008 – More than 50% of patients with a recurrent posttransplant hepatitis C virus infection fail to respond to antiviral treatment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the interest of a long‐term antiviral treatment maintained for more than 48 weeks. Seventy treated patients, with a histological follow‐up > 1 year, were enrolled in this observational, retrospective study.

Hepatocyte transplantation in animal models

Anne Weber, Marie‐Thérèse Groyer‐Picard, Dominique Franco, Ibrahim Dagher – 24 December 2008 – More than 30 years after the first hepatocyte transplant to treat the Gunn rat, the animal model for Crigler‐Najjar syndrome, there are still a number of impediments to hepatocyte transplantation. Numerous animal models are still used in work aimed at improving hepatocyte engraftment and/or long‐term function.

Impact of donor graft steatosis on overall outcome and viral recurrence after liver transplantation for hepatitis C virus cirrhosis

Javier Briceño, Ruben Ciria, María Pleguezuelo, Manuel de la Mata, Jordi Muntané, Álvaro Naranjo, Juan Sánchez‐Hidalgo, Trinidad Marchal, Sebastián Rufián, Pedro López‐Cillero – 24 December 2008 – The aim of this study was to determine the influence of donor graft steatosis on overall outcome, viral recurrence, and fibrosis progression in orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) for hepatitis C virus (HCV) cirrhosis. One hundred twenty patients who underwent OLT for HCV cirrhosis between 1995 and 2005 were included in the study.

Sildenafil therapy is associated with improved hemodynamics in liver transplantation candidates with pulmonary arterial hypertension

Michael S. Gough, R. James White – 24 December 2008 – Pulmonary arterial hypertension associated with portal hypertension occurs in about 5% of patients being evaluated for liver transplantation. Treatment is required to facilitate safe transplantation, and oral pulmonary vasodilators have yet to be prospectively evaluated for this disease. The objective of this study was to determine the hemodynamic outcome in a consecutive cohort of patients offered sildenafil as first‐line treatment for portopulmonary hypertension.

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