Antiviral Therapy for Chronic HCV Infection - Tolerability and Outcome

This thesis describes the safety and outcome of antiviral therapy for chronic HCV infection. In the first chapters, the authors investigated (hematological) adverse events during interferon-based therapy among patients with compensated cirrhosis. By using a patient-tailored approach, interferon-based treatment can be optimized. The authors also assessed the trends in pat

Recent advances in managing chronic HCV infection: Focus on therapy in patients with severe liver disease

Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection still represents a major public health problem, as it is thought to be responsible for more than 350,000 deaths around the globe on a yearly basis. Fortunately, successful eradication of the virus has been associated with improved clinical outcome and reduced mortality rates. In the past few years, treatment has improved considerably by the implementation of direct-acting antivirals (DAAs). From 2014 onwards, sofosbuvir, simeprevir, daclatasvir, ledipasvir, paritaprevir, ombitasvir, and dasabuvir have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Medicines Agency (EMA). Regimens with various combinations of these new drugs, without the use of interferon (IFN), proved to be very effective and well tolerated, even among patients with advanced liver disease. Moreover, treatment duration could be shortened to 12 weeks in the majority of patients. The high costs of these DAAs, however, limit the availability of IFN-free therapy worldwide. Even in wealthy countries, it is deemed necessary to prioritize DAA treatment in order to limit the immediate impact on the health budget. As patients with advanced liver disease are in most need of HCV clearance, many countries decided to treat those patients first. In the current review, we focus on the currently available IFN-free treatment options for patients with cirrhosis. We discuss the virological efficacy as well as the clinical relevance of these regimens among this specific patient population

Portal Embolisation as Treatment of Severe Portal Hypertension Due to Idiopathic Intrahepatic Arterioportal Fistula:A Case Report

Intrahepatic arterioportal fistula (IAPF) is a rare cause of portal hypertension. Treatment is usually aimed at restoring the normal portal hemodynamics by obliterating the shunt. This report describes a case of idiopathic IAPF with severe portal hypertension complicated by portal enteropathy with vomiting, gastrointestinal hemorrhage and sepsis. The patient was successfully treated with portal embolization.</p

Management of Thrombocytopenia in Chronic Liver Disease: Focus on Pharmacotherapeutic Strategies

Thrombocytopenia (platelet count <150 × 109/L) often complicates chronic liver disease, impeding optimal management of these patients. The prevalence of this manifestation ranges from 6 % among non-cirrhotic patients with chronic liver disease to 70 % among patients with liver cirrhosis. It has also been shown that the severity of liver disease is associated with both prevalence and level of thrombocytopenia. Its development is often multifactorial, although thrombopoietin is thought to be a major factor. The discovery of and ability to clone thrombopoietin led to new treatment opportunities for this clinical manifestation. This review discusses data on the three most important thrombopoietin receptor agonists: eltrombopag, avatrombopag, and romiplostim. Currently, only eltrombopag is approved for usage among patients with thrombocytopenia and chronic hepatitis C virus infection in order to initiate and maintain interferon-based antiviral treatment. Nevertheless, the optimal management of hematologic abnormalities among patients with chronic liver disease, and its risk for bleeding complications, is still a matter of discussion. Thrombocytopenia definitely contributes to hemostatic defects but is often counterbalanced by the enhanced presence of procoagulant factors. Therefore, a thorough assessment of the patient's risk for thrombotic events is essential when the use of thrombopoietin receptor agonists is considered among patients with chronic liver disease and thrombocytopenia

The Yield of Routine Post-Operative Doppler Ultrasound to Detect Early Post-Liver Transplantation Vascular Complications

Early detection of liver transplantation (LT) vascular complications enables timely management. Our aim was to assess if routine Doppler ultrasound (rDUS) improves the detection of hepatic artery thrombosis (HAT), portal vein thrombosis (PVT) and hepatic venous outflow obstruction (HVOO). We retrospectively analysed timing and outcomes, number needed to diagnose one complication (NND) and positive predictive value (PPV) of rDUS on post-operative day (POD) 0,1 and 7 in 708 adult patients who underwent primary LT between 2010–2022. We showed that HAT developed in 7.1%, PVT in 8.2% and HVOO in 3.1% of patients. Most early complications were diagnosed on POD 0 (26.9%), 1 (17.3%) and 5 (17.3%). rDUS correctly detected 21 out of 26 vascular events during the protocol days. PPV of rDUS was 53.8%, detection rate 1.1% and NND was 90.5. Median time to diagnosis was 4 days for HAT and 47 days for PVT and 21 days for HVOO. After intervention, liver grafts were preserved in 57.1%. In conclusion, rDUS protocol helps to detect first week’s vascular events, but with low PPV and a high number of ultrasounds needed.</p

The Yield of Routine Post-Operative Doppler Ultrasound to Detect Early Post-Liver Transplantation Vascular Complications

Early detection of liver transplantation (LT) vascular complications enables timely management. Our aim was to assess if routine Doppler ultrasound (rDUS) improves the detection of hepatic artery thrombosis (HAT), portal vein thrombosis (PVT) and hepatic venous outflow obstruction (HVOO). We retrospectively analysed timing and outcomes, number needed to diagnose one complication (NND) and positive predictive value (PPV) of rDUS on post-operative day (POD) 0,1 and 7 in 708 adult patients who underwent primary LT between 2010–2022. We showed that HAT developed in 7.1%, PVT in 8.2% and HVOO in 3.1% of patients. Most early complications were diagnosed on POD 0 (26.9%), 1 (17.3%) and 5 (17.3%). rDUS correctly detected 21 out of 26 vascular events during the protocol days. PPV of rDUS was 53.8%, detection rate 1.1% and NND was 90.5. Median time to diagnosis was 4 days for HAT and 47 days for PVT and 21 days for HVOO. After intervention, liver grafts were preserved in 57.1%. In conclusion, rDUS protocol helps to detect first week’s vascular events, but with low PPV and a high number of ultrasounds needed.</p