Improved survival in liver transplant recipients receiving prolonged-release tacrolimus in the European liver transplant registry

This study was a retrospective analysis of the European Liver Transplant Registry (ELTR) performed to compare long-term outcomes with prolonged-release tacrolimus versus tacrolimus BD in liver transplantation (January 2008-December 2012). Clinical efficacy measures included univariate and multivariate analyses of risk factors influencing graft and patient survival at 3 years posttransplant. Efficacy measures were repeated using propensity score-matching for baseline demographics. Patients with <1 month of follow-up were excluded from the analyses. In total, 4367 patients (prolonged-release tacrolimus: n = 528; BD: n = 3839) from 21 European centers were included. Tacrolimus BD treatment was significantly associated with inferior graft (risk ratio: 1.81; p = 0.001) and patient survival (risk ratio: 1.72; p = 0.004) in multivariate analyses. Similar analyses performed on the propensity score-matched patients confirmed the significant survival advantages observed in the prolonged-release tacrolimus- versus tacrolimus BD-treated group. This large retrospective analysis from the ELTR identified significant improvements in long-term graft and patient survival in patients treated with prolonged-release tacrolimus versus tacrolimus BD in primary liver transplant recipients over 3 years of treatment. However, as with any retrospective registry evaluation, there are a number of limitations that should be considered when interpreting these data

Neck emergency due to parathyroid adenoma bleeding: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>The spontaneous rupture of a parathyroid adenoma accompanied by extracapsular hemorrhage is a rare, potentially fatal, condition and is a cervicomediastinal surgical emergency.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>This report describes an atypical two-step spontaneous rupture of an asymptomatic parathyroid adenoma in a 56-year-old Caucasian woman who presented with a painful mass in the right side of her neck.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Based on this case report and similar cases reported in the medical literature, a diagnosis of extracapsular parathyroid hemorrhage should be considered when a non-traumatic sudden neck swelling coexists with hypercalcemia and regional ecchymosis.</p

Severe systemic cytomegalovirus infections in patients with steroid-refractory ulcerative colitis treated by an oral microemulsion form of cyclosporine: report of two cases.

International audienceCMV reactivation is frequently observed in acute flares of ulcerative colitis (UC), particularly those which do not respond to intravenous steroids. Several recent series have suggested that, in most cases, CMV reactivation does not lead to severe complications and resolves spontaneously with the UC flare and discontinuation of immunosuppression. In the present paper, we describe two patients with active UC who developed a severe systemic CMV infection during a treatment with an oral microemulsion form of cyclosporine. This is of concern, particularly in a context of increasing use of immunosuppressive drugs in UC. We propose a prophylactic and curative approach to decrease morbidity related to CMV infection in active UC

[Monolobar Caroli's disease. Apropos of 12 cases]

BACKGROUND: Caroli's disease is the dilatation of the segmental intrahepatic bile ducts. It usually affects the entire liver but can occasionally involve only one lobe, commonly the left. This study included 12 cases of unilobular disease, nine localised in the left lobe and three in the right lobe, which were all treated by liver resection. PATIENTS AND METHODS: These 12 patients underwent surgery between 1974 and 1997. There were six men and six women (mean age: 51 years). The initial presentation and diagnosis were reported. The mean interval between the first symptoms and diagnosis was 12.5 years. Eight of the 12 patients had undergone 22 surgical or endoscopic procedures prior to liver resection. In the present series a preoperative ultrasonogram or CT scan established the diagnosis in all cases. Six patients did not have stones in the gallbladder. RESULTS: Surgical treatment consisted in seven left lobectomies, two left hepatectomies and three right hepatectomies (Couinaud's classification). A intrahilar cholangiojejunostomy was performed in five cases. Pathological examination showed cystic dilatation of the intrahepatic segmental and subsegmental bile ducts, measuring from a few millimetres to 4 cm, which contained calculi. Two cases were associated with congenital hepatic fibrosis. An intrahepatic focus of ectopic pancreatic tissue was seen in one case. There were no cases with cholangiocarcinoma. One patient developed a biliary fistula which required reoperation. All patients had an uneventful long term postoperative course except for one patient who died of colon carcinoma 3 years postoperatively. CONCLUSION: When associated with other malformations, most notably congenital hepatic fibrosis, this commonly diffuse disease is called Caroli's syndrome. The unilobar form, most usually involving the left lobe of the liver, is called Caroli's disease. Both monolobar and diffuse types are often characterised by recurrent bouts of cholangitis and, in over half of the cases, by common bile duct stones without gallbladder stone

Le traitement de l'échinococcose alvéolaire humaine: une approche multidisciplinaire [Treatment of alveolar echinococcosis: a multidisciplinary task]

Alveolar echinococcosis is characterized by a long asymptomatic period but, without treatment, up to 80% of patients may die within ten years of diagnosis. Owing to a lack of fast-acting and fully effective chemotherapy, partial radical hepatic resection is the only chance of cure. One-third of patients are now treated in this way, and complex vascular and biliary reconstruction procedures are sometimes necessary. Liver transplantation may also be indicated for highly selected patients (about 5%) with life-threatening complications after failure of other treatments. Interventional radiology and endoscopy can be used to drain liver abscesses and/or infected and obstructed bile ducts, either as palliative procedures or as a bridge to radical resection. Parasitostatic benzimidazole therapy, especially based on continuous albendazole administration, is mandatory for at least two years after radical resection, and for life in inoperable patients

Emergency surgery for obstructing colonic cancer: a comparison between right-sided and left-sided lesions

International audiencePURPOSE:Few studies compare management and outcomes of obstructive colonic cancer, depending on the tumor site. We aim to evaluate the differences in patient characteristics, tumor characteristics, and outcomes of emergency surgery for obstructive right-sided versus left-sided colonic cancers.METHODS:Between 2000 and 2009, 71 consecutive patients had an emergency colectomy following strict and clear definition of obstruction in a single institution. We retrospectively analyzed pre, per, and postoperative data that were prospectively collected.RESULTS:There were 31 and 40 patients in the right and left group, respectively. Patients aged over 80 were more frequent in the right group (p = 0.03). At operation, ileocecal valve was less often competent in the right group (p = 0.03). The one-stage strategy was more frequent in the right group (p = 0.008). Patients in the right group had a higher rate of nodes invasion (p = 0.04). One- and two-year mortality rate in the right group had a tendency to be higher.CONCLUSIONS:Patients presenting with a right obstructive colonic cancer are older, have a more advanced locoregional disease, and are more often treated in a one-stage strategy than patients with a left obstructive tumor