Objective To evaluate the diagnosis and treatment of early-stage hepatic artery thrombosis(HAT) after adult liver transplantation.Methods387 consecutive adult patients who underwent liver transplantation from June 2007 to October 2010 by the same surgery team in the Transplant Center,First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University were retrospectively studied.Hepatic arterial blood flow was monitored by color Doppler ultrasound (DUS) daily during the first week after transplantation.Ultrasonic contrast or hepatic artery angiography was performed on recipients with suspected HAT.Results10 patients developed HAT on 7(2-18)d after operation.The incidence of HAT was 2.6％ (10/387).Interventional therapy was performed in 2 patients with one patient who received a stent because of hepatic artery stricture.Three patients underwent emergent hepatic artery revascularization combined with intra-arterial urokinase thrombolysis treatment.One developed a rethrombosis and died.The remaining 2 patients received re-transplantation.Three patients died of liver failure and severe infection.The mortality rate was 40％ (10/387).ConclusionsIt is essential to diagnoses HAT by monitoring the artery flow by Doppler ultrasound screening in the early period after operation.Interventional therapy,emergent hepatic artery revascularization and re-transplantation are effective rescue treatments.Prevention of HAT is most important.

Objective To investigate the effects of ischemic preconditioning on the cholesterol content and the activity of Na+-K+-ATPase of hepatocytes following cold preservation in rats.Methods Twenty-five rats were randomly divided into five groups,including control group (C),cold preservation group (Ⅰ),ischemic preconditioning group (ⅠP),atorvastatin (30 μmol/L) treatment group (A30),and atorvastatin (100 μmol/L) treatment group (A100).The cholesterol content and the activity of Na+ -K+ -ATPase were assessed.Results The cholesterol contents on the rat liver tissue cell membrane in the C group,Ⅰ group,ⅠP group,A30 group and A100 group were (310.4 ± 27.5),(187.7±13.1),(394.3±25.9),(201.8±14.6) and (122.6±7.7) nmol/mg protein,and activity of the Na+ -K+ -ATP enzyme was (46.55 ± 3.20),(27.4 ± 2.81),(52.71 ± 3.02),(30.67 ±2.78) and (19.64 ± 2.11) μmol Pi/hr mg protein,respectively (P＜0.05).There was no significant difference in the plasma membrane phospholipid content among the five groups (P＞0.05).Conclusion Reduction of cholesterol content and Na+ K+ -ATPase activity on the liver cytoplasmic membrane is one of the factors causing donor liver cold preservation injury,but ischemic preconditioning can significantly improve cell membrane Na+ -K+ -ATPase activity and increase cytoplasmic membrane cholesterol content. Use of atorvastatin statins can reduce cytoplasmic membrane cholesterol synthesis,and significantly decrease Na+ -K+ -ATPase activity,thereby alleviating the donor liver cold preservation injury.

Objective To analyze the risk factors for the outcomes of recipients after orthotopic liver transplantation using donation after cardiac death (DCD) donors.Method A retrospective study was performed to observe the available clinical data of 60 patients who had receiced hepatic allografts of DCD donors from July 2007 to December 2012 in our hospital and a 3-year follow-up was conducted to investigate outcome.In the patients whose ALT and/or AST levels were more than 1500 U/L within 72 h following surgery,early allograft dysfunction (EAD) was defined.Potential risk fators right before surgery included donor and recipient age,donor ALT AST,TBIL and WIT,and recipient creatine,TBIL,INR,albumin,MELD,BMI and recipient CIT.Kaplan-meier method was used to calculate the cumulative survival rate.Log-rank test and Cox regression model were performed to analyze donors and recipients related risk factors by univariate and multivariate analysis respectively.All statistical data were analyzed by using SPSS 19.0.Results The overall cumulative survival rate of 1 and 3 years was 76％ and 62％ respectively.Donor ALT,AST and WIT,and recipient Cre,MELD,CIT and EAD were significant risk fators in univariate analysis.However,the multivariate analysis revealed that donor WIT was the only independent risk factor affecting survival in our study.Conclusion By identifying and controlling certain characteristics,the outcomes of DCD liver transplant recipients could be dramaticly improved.

Objective To study the impact of various donor hepatectomy techniques on clinical rehabilitation and postoperative liver regeneration on living donor liver transplant (LDLT) donors.Methods The data of 13 consecutive LDLT carried out from May 2006 to May 2011,including the surgical techniques,postoperative liver function,and liver regeneration in the donors were retrospectively studied.Results The donor operations included 8 right hepatectomies without the middle hepatic vein,2 right hepatectomies with the middle hepatic vein and 3 left hepatectomies.Hepatic function and blood coagulation function returned to normal within two weeks of hepatectomy in all the donors.There was no severe complication and no death.There was a significant positive correlation between the donor liver volume as measured preoperatively on CT and the resected liver weight as measured intraoperatively (r=0.838,P＜0.01).The volume of the remnant liver increased soon after transplantation.The liver regenerated significantly faster in right than in lefft liver donors.The remnant liver of the right liver donors with middle hepatic vein preservation grew faster than the right liver donors without middle hepatic vein preservation.However,there was no significant difference in the recovery of the liver function between the three groups.Conclusions Donor hepatectomy is safe.The postoperative liver regeneration is affected by multiple factors including the remnant liver volume and blood supply of the remnant liver.

BACKGROUND: Tumor recurrence in liver transplant recipients greatly affects prognosis of liver transplantation with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). How to prevent tumor recurrence has aroused increasing attention. Arsenious acid chemotherapy is considered effective on treating moderate or advanced liver cancer, but its utilization following liver transplantation remains few. OBJECTIVE: To explore the role of arsenious acid on tumor recurrence in liver transplant patients with primary HCC extending Milan criteria. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: All patients were routinely followed up for 3-32 months. Thirty recipients were presented with tumor recurrence, 16 in the chemotherapy group and 14 in the non-chemotherapy group. Tumor recurred in lung, liver graft and bones in most cases. The total recurrence rate was similar in these two groups, but chemotherapy could delay recurrence after transplantation (P=0.026). There was no significance in 6-month, 1-year survival rate between two groups, but the 2-year survival in the chemotherapy group was higher (P=0.037); 6-month tumor-free survival rates in the two groups had no significance, 1-year and 2-year tumor-free in the chemotherapy group were significantly higher than those in the non-chemotherapy group (P=0.030, 0.023). Intravenous arsenious acid chemotherapy can delay tumor recurrence and prolong survival in liver transplant patients with HCC extending Milan criteria.

Objective Sirolimus is a new, potent immunosuppreasant considered to be nonnephrotoxic. There is limited experience with the use of sirolimus in liver transplant recipients. This study was to investigate the clinical experience of conversion from tacrolimus-based to sirolimus-based immunosuppression in liver transplant recipients. Patients switched to cyclosporine-based immunosuppression during the same period were also enrolled as controls. Methods This retrospective study examined liver transplant recipients who had been switched from tacrelimus-based to sirolimus-based or cyelosporine-based immunosuppressive therapy between January 2004 and January 2008 in the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University. Patients were divided into 2 groups: those switched to sirolimus-based immunosuppression (group A; n=32); and those switched to cyclosporine-based immunosuppression (group B; n=15). Results The rate of successful conversion was 34.5% in group A (10/32) compared with 45.5% in group B (7/15); this difference was not statistically significant (P>0.05). After conversion, renal function in patients in group A remained normal, while the renal function in patients in group B become abnormal 4 months after conversion (P<0.05). In group A, some simlimus-associated adverse effects occurred but were mild and easy to control. Conclusion Sirolimus can be used safely in place of tacrolimus in liver transplant recipients.

Objective To evaluate the effect of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) in treatment of biliary complications after liver transplantation. Methods Data of 39 patients who underwent ERCP between January 2005 and December 2007 because of biliary complications after liver trans-plantation were retrospectively evaluated. Endoscopic sphincterotomy, dilatation, nasal-biliary drainage (ENBD) and stent placement were performed in 25 patients with biliary strictures (14 at anastomosis site and 11 at non-anastomosis site). ENBD and stent placement were applied in 6 patients with biliary leakage, while endoscopic sphincterotomy, ENBD and stone extraction with baskets were performed in 16 patients with biliary stones. Procedures were repeated when necessary. Results ERCP was successfully performed at a rate of 95.9% (94/98) without any severe complications. Strictures at anastomosis site were resolved in all patients (100%, 14/14), while for strictures at non-anastomosis site, only 27.3% (3/11) were cured. Biliary leakage was resolved in 83.3% (5/6) patients. Complete bile duet clearance was achieved in 81.3% (13/16) of the patients with biliary stones. Conclusion ERCP proves to be safe and effective in the treatment of post liver transplantation biliary complications with low incidence of severe complications.

Objective To evaluate the efficacy of liver grafts with warm ischemia and with different cold preservation time in liver transplantation.Methods The clinical data of 154 patients who received liver transplantation at the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University from January 2006 to December 2007 were retrospectively analyzed.The warm ischemia time of the liver grafts obtained from the non-heart-beating donors was within 10 minutes.According to cold perservation time of the liver grafts,patients were divided into 3 groups:the cold preservation time of the liver grafts was within 8 hours,8-12 hours and above 12 hours in group I(n=58),group Ⅱ(n=62)and group Ⅲ(n=34),respectively.The peak level of alanine aminotransferase(ALT),primary graft dysfunction(PGD)after liver transplantation,acute rejection response,biliary complications,vessel complications,perioperative infections and the survival of liver grafts and recipients among the 3 groups were analyzed via chi-square test,t test and variance analysis.Results No PGD was detected in the 3 groups after liver transplantation.All patients were followed up for 8-32 months.The peak level of ALT,incidence of infection and biliary complication,survival of liver grafts and recipients were(482±357)U/L,12%(7/58),12%(7/58),86%(50/58)and 88%(51/58)in group Ⅰ,and were(1274±608)U/L,29%(10/34),26%(9/34),68%(23/34)and 71%(24/34)in group Ⅲ,with significant difference between the 2 groups(t=5.23,X~2=4.28,6.77,4.51,4.28,P<0.05).The peak level of ALT in group Ⅱ was(953±424)U/L,which was significant higher than(482±357)U/L in group Ⅰ(t=4.76,P＜0.05).Conclusions Liver grafts with a warm ischemia time shorter than 10 minutes could tolerate the injury caused by cold preservation with the maximum time of 12 hours.The incidences of biliary complications and postoperative infections are significantly increased and the survivals of liver grafts and recipients are decreased when the cold preservation time exceeds 12 hours.

BACKGROUND:Nowadays,liver grafts for transplantation are clinically sourced from non-heart-beating donors.Moreover,there is still no uniform determination of safe time limit points for non-heart-beating donor liver in warm ischemia and cold preservation.OBJECTIVE:To evaluate the application safety and curative effects of warm ischemia liver graft affected by varied cold ischemia time (CIT) in liver transplantation.DESIGN,TIME AND SETTING:A randomized controlled observation was performed in the Organ Transplantation Center,First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University between January 2006 and December 2007.PARTICIPANTS:154 cases who underwent non-heart-beating liver transplantation were included in this study.All liver graftsinvolved had a warm ischemia time(WIT) less than 10 minutes.METHODS:All cases were assigned into 3 groups according to CIT:group Ⅰ (CIT＜8 hours,n=58),group Ⅱ (CIT 8-12hours,n=62),and group Ⅲ (CIT 13-16 hours,n=34).The liver grafts were randomly allocated for the patients.Following liver transplantation,the same immunosuppression protocol was employed for each group.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:Following surgery,peak level of alanine aminotransferase (ALT),primary graft dysfunction (PGD) after liver transplantation,acute rejection response,biliary complications,vessel complications,perioperative infections,graft and recipient survival rate were compared among 3 groups.RESULTS:Follow-up time was 8-32 months.No PGD was detected in all 154 cases.Group Ⅱ showed postoperative ALT peak levels significantly higher than group Ⅰ (P＜ 0.05).There was no significant difference between groups Ⅰ and Ⅱin terms of acute cellular rejection,perioperative infection,biliary complication,vessel complication,graft survival rate,and recipient survival rate (P＞0.05).Compared with group Ⅰ,the group Ⅲ exhibited significantly increased postoperative ALT peak level,biliary complications,and perioperative infections,and significantly decreased graft and recipient survival rate (P＜0.05).CONCLUSION:Non-heat-beating-liver grafts with less than 10 minutes of warm ischemia can tolerance 12 hours of cold ischemia.More than 12 hours,postoperative liver transplantation complications ascend and,contradictorily,graft and recipient survival rate descend.