Agenesis of the Right Hepatic Lobe

Introduction. Agenesis of the right lobe of the liver is a rare finding and was defined as the absence of liver tissue on the right side, with preservation of the middle hepatic vein, without previous disease or surgery. It is usually an incident finding reveled by imaging exams or during abdominal surgery. Case Report. A 32-year-old male patient was admitted to the hospital for abdominal discomfort and loss of appetite. Imaging studies revealed the absence of the right hepatic lobe and hypertrophied left hepatic segments. Discussion. Anomalies of hepatic morphology are rare and correspond to developmental defects during embryogenesis, are a rare diagnosis, and are generally diagnosed incidentally based on imaging. Agenesis or hypoplasia of the right lobe may predispose the patient to the development of portal hypertension and esophageal varices. Surgical knowledge of such anatomical agenesis is necessary for surgical planning, for the appropriate identification of intraoperative surgical findings, and for the design of the postoperative approach to therapy. Conclusion. Agenesis of the right hepatic lobe is a rare condition. We want to highlight the importance of understanding the condition. Surgeons must recognize the entity in order to deal appropriately with the findings

Infiltrative xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis mimicking aggressive gallbladder carcinoma: A diagnostic and therapeutic dilemma

Xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis (XGC) is an uncommon variant of chronic cholecystitis. The perioperative findings in aggressive cases may be indistinguishable from those of gallbladder or biliary tract carcinomas. Three patients presented mass lesions that infiltrated the hepatic hilum, provoked biliary dilatation and jaundice, and were indicative of malignancy. Surgical excision was performed following oncological principles and included extirpation of the gallbladder, extrahepatic bile duct, and hilar lymph nodes, as well as partial hepatectomy. Postoperative morbidity was minimal. Surgical pathology demonstrated XGC and absence of malignancy in all three cases. All three patients are alive and well after years of follow-up. XGC may have such an aggressive presentation that carcinoma may only be ruled out on surgical pathology. In such cases, the best option may be radical resection following oncological principles performed by expert surgeons, in order that postoperative complications may be minimized if not avoided altogether

COVID-19 in solid organ transplantation patients: A systematic review

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) rapidly progresses to severe acute respiratory syndrome. This review aimed at collating available data on COVID-19 infection in solid organ transplantation (SOT) patients. We performed a systematic review of SOT patients infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The MEDLINE and PubMed databases were electronically searched and updated until April 20, 2020. The MeSH terms used were ‘‘COVID-19’’ AND ‘‘Transplant.’’ Thirty-nine COVID-19 cases were reported among SOT patients. The median interval for developing SARS-CoV-2 infection was 4 years since transplantation, and the fatality rate was 25.64% (10/39). Sixteen cases were described in liver transplant (LT) patients, and the median interval since transplantation was 5 years. The fatality rate among LT patients was 37.5% (6/16), with death occurring more than 3 years after LT. The youngest patient who died was 59 years old; there were no deaths among children. Twenty-three cases were described in kidney transplant (KT) patients. The median interval since transplantation was 4 years, and the fatality rate was 17.4% (4/23). The youngest patient who died was 71 years old. Among all transplant patients, COVID-19 had the highest fatality rate in patients older than 60 years : LT, 62.5% vs 12.5% (p=0.006); KT 44.44% vs 0 (p=0.039); and SOT, 52.94% vs 4.54% (p=0.001). This study presents a novel description of COVID-19 in abdominal SOT recipients. Furthermore, we alert medical professionals to the higher fatality risk in patients older than 60 years. (PROSPERO, registration number= CRD42020181299

An analysis of tacrolimus-related complications in the first 30 days after liver transplantation

OBJECTIVES: Orthotopic liver transplantation has improved survival in patients with end-stage liver disease; however, therapeutic strategies that achieve ideal immunosuppression and avoid early complications are lacking. To correlate the dose and level of Tacrolimus with early complications, e.g., rejection, infection and renal impairment, after liver transplantation. From November 2011 to May 2013, 44 adult liver transplant recipients were studied in this retrospective comparative study. RESULTS: The most frequent indication for liver transplantation was hepatitis C cirrhosis (47.7%), with a higher prevalence observed in male patients (68.18%). The ages of the subjects ranged from 19-71 and the median age was 55.5 years. The mean length of the hospital stay was 16.1±9.32 days and the mean Model for End-stage Liver Disease score was 26.18±4.28. There were five cases of acute cellular rejection (11.37%) and 16 cases of infection (36.37%). The blood samples that were collected and analyzed over time showed a significant correlation between the Tacrolimus blood level and the deterioration of glomerular filtration rate and serum creatinine (

Multivisceral transplantation of pelvic organs in rats

BackgroundMultivisceral transplantation of pelvic organs would be a potential treatment for severe pelvic floor dysfunction with fecal and urinary incontinence, extensive perineal trauma, or congenital disorders. Here, we describe the microsurgical technique of multivisceral transplantation of pelvic organs, including the pelvic floor, in rats.Donor operationWe performed a perineal (including the genitalia, anus, muscles, and ligaments) and abdominal incision. The dissection progressed near the pelvic ring, dividing ligaments, muscles, external iliac vessels, and pudendal nerves, allowing pelvic floor mobilization. The aorta and vena cava were isolated distally, preserving the internal iliac and gonadal vessels. The graft containing the skin, muscles, ligaments, bladder, ureter, rectum, anus and vagina, uterus and ovarian (female), or penile, testis and its ducts (male) was removed en bloc, flushed, and cold-stored.Recipient operationThe infrarenal aorta and vena cava were isolated and donor/recipient aorta-aorta and cava-cava end-to-side microanastomoses were performed. After pelvic floor and viscera removal, we performed microanastomoses between the donor and the recipient ureter, and the rectum and pudenda nerves. The pelvic floor was repositioned in its original position (orthotopic model) or the abdominal wall (heterotopic model). We sacrificed the animals 2 h after surgery.ResultsWe performed seven orthotopic and four heterotopic transplantations. One animal from the orthotopic model and one from the heterotopic model died because of technical failure. Six orthotopic and three heterotopic recipients survived up to 2 h after transplantation.ConclusionThe microsurgical technique for pelvic floor transplantation in rats is feasible, achieving an early survival rate of 81.82%

Liver elastography in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma in screening for liver transplantation

INTRODUÇÃO: A cirrose é a oitava causa de mortalidade no mundo, e sua progressão e estadiamento são de extrema importância nos pacientes com doença terminal do fígado. A presença de cirrose é reconhecida como risco aumentado de carcinoma hepatocelular (CHC) e o seu aparecimento está diretamente relacionado ao grau de fibrose do fígado. Na última década, notou-se o desenvolvimento e aperfeiçoamento dos métodos de predição do grau de fibrose e cirrose, através de métodos não-invasivos, com o objetivo de substituir a biópsia hepática. A população em lista de espera para transplante de fígado apresenta graus diferentes de fibrose hepática, que pode não estar diretamente relacionada ao MELD. Além disso, esses pacientes apresentam CHC no momento da triagem para transplante de fígado. Não existe avaliação desta população por elastografia. OBJETIVO: O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar os pacientes em triagem para transplante de fígado, com e sem carcinoma hepatocelular, pela elastografia hepática com Fibroscan® e ARFI. MÉTODO: Foram estudados 103 pacientes adultos do ambulatório de triagem da Disciplina de Transplante de Órgãos do Aparelho Digestivo HC/FMUSP, no período de outubro de 2012 à dezembro de 2013. A amostragem foi por conveniência e foram avaliados dados clínicos, epidemiográficos, laboratoriais, imagem, elastográficos e o desfecho. Análise de elastografia transitória (ET) foi feita pelo Fibroscan® TM (Echosens, França) e força impulso por radiação acústica (ARFI) (Siemens Acuson S2000, Alemanha) nos grupos com e sem CHC comprovados de acordo com orientação de diagnóstico pelas diretrizes européias (EASL) e americanas (AASLD). Para a análise estatística foi realizado o teste de Mann-Whitney, teste não paramétrico aplicado para duas amostras independentes; o teste de Fisher e o método ANOVA através do teste de Kruskal-Wallis ou teste de Tukey para comparações múltiplas. Foi realizado também a curva ROC para avaliação dos testes diagnósticos e ponto de corte. O valor considerado de p significativo foi <0,05. RESULTADOS: Entre os pacientes avaliados, a maioria foi de homens (68%), com idade média de 53 ± 11,5 anos. A etiologia mais comum foi o vírus da hepatite C (VHC) em 34,9%. A classificação pelo escore Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP) mostrou: pacientes classe A em 38,4%, classe B em 47,2% e classe C em 14,2%. O valor do MELD médio dos pacientes foi de 14,75 (± 6,45) e a mediana de 14 (variando, 6 - 32). Na população estudada de 103 pacientes, a ET (Fibroscan®) foi realizada com sucesso em 75 de 103 pacientes e ARFI em 78 de 78 pacientes. A etiologia VHC e elevados valores de alfa-feto proteína foram fatores de risco para a presença de CHC. Os valores de MELD mais elevados foram significativos nos pacientes que evoluíram a óbito. A curva ROC mostrou respectivamente sensibilidade e especificidade para a AFP de 50% e 86% (valor de corte 9,1); ET (valor de corte 9 kPa) 92% e 17%; e ARFI 21% e 92% (valor de corte 2,56 m/s). O valor médio da ET nos pacientes com CHC foi de 30,4 ± 21,0 kPa, do ARFI do parênquima hepático foi de 1,97 ± 0,64 e ARFI do nódulo hepático foi de 1,89 ± 0,74. CONCLUSÃO: Os pacientes em triagem para transplante de fígado com carcinoma hepatocelular apresentam valores elevados de elastografia tanto pelo Fibroscan® quanto pelo ARFI®. A elastografia apresenta-se como uma importante ferramenta não invasiva para o acompanhamento de cirróticos graves podendo ajudar no manejo do carcinoma hepatocelularINTRODUCTION: Cirrhosis is the eighth leading cause of mortality worldwide and its progression and staging are extremely important in patients with end liver disease. The presence of cirrhosis is recognized as an increased risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and its incidence is directly related to the degree of liver fibrosis. In the last decade, was noted the development and improvement of methods for predicting the degree of fibrosis and cirrhosis using non-invasive methods, aiming to replace the liver biopsy. The population on the liver transplant waiting list presents different degrees of liver fibrosis, which may not be directly related to MELD. In addition, these patients have HCC at the time of screening for liver transplantation. There is no evaluation of this population by elastography. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate patients on screened to the list for liver transplantation, with and without hepatocellular carcinoma, by liver elastography with Fibroscan and ARFI. METHOD: Were studied 103 adult patients from the screening for liver transplantation waiting list on the Liver and Gastrointestinal Transplant Division HC/FMUSP from October 2012 to December 2013. Sampling for convenience and evaluation clinical data, epidemiological, laboratory, imaging, elastography findings and outcome. Analysis of transient elastography (TE) by Fibroscan TM (Echosens, France) and Acoustic Radiation Force Impulse (ARFI) by (Siemens Acuson S2000, Germany) in patients with and without HCC proven in accordance with guidelines of diagnosis EASL/AASLD. Fisher\'s ANOVA or Kruskal-Wallis tests Whitney-Mann Test were performed. Tukey and define cut-of for examinations with ROC curves. The p value considered was < 0.05. RESULTS: Among the patients, the majority were men (68%), mean age 53 ± 11.5 years. This is the most common cause of hepatitis C virus (HCV) 34.9%. The classification by Child-Turcotte-Pugh score (CTP) showed: class A patients in 38.4%, 47.2% in class B and class C in 14.2%. The average value of MELD patients was 14.75 (± 6.45) and a median of 14 (range, 6-32). In the study population of 103 patients, the ET (Fibroscan) was successfully performed in 75 of 103 patients and ARFI in 78 of 78 patients. The HCV etiology and high levels of alpha-fetoprotein were risk factors for the presence of HCC. MELD values were significant higher in patients who died. The ROC curve shown respectively sensitivity and specificity for AFP of 50% and 86% (cutoff 9.1); ET (9 cutoff kPa) 92% to 17%; and ARFI 21% and 92% (cut-off 2.56 m / s). The average value of ET in HCC patients was 30.4 ± 21.0 kPa, the ARFI parenchymal liver was 1.97 ± 0.64 and ARFI liver nodules was 1.89 ± 0.74. CONCLUSION: Patients in screening for liver transplantation with hepatocellular carcinoma have elevated values of both elastography by Fibroscan as the ARFI®. Elastography is presented as an important non-invasive tool for monitoring severe cirrhosis may help in management of hepatocellular carcinom