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Clearance of HCV before transplantation could avoid recurrence of hepatitis C in the liver allograft, thereby improving graft and patient survival. We report our experience with combined therapy for patients with HCV cirrhosis, including 12 patients with biopsy-proven liver cirrhosis (n = 7) or previous cirrhotic complications (n = 5). The Child-Pugh score was A in eight patients and B in four. Two patients had hepatocellular carcinoma. Genotype distribution was 1a (n = 2), 1b (n = 8) or 3 (n = 1). Patients received peginterferon alpha2b (1.5 microg/kg once weekly) and ribavirin (10.6 g/kg per day) for 48 weeks (genotype 1) or 24 weeks (genotype 3). Twenty-one months after beginning therapy all the patients remained alive; three have undergone liver transplantation. In one patient treatment was discontinued after 2 months due to cachexia. End-of-treatment virologic response was achieved in five patients (41.7%) and sustained virologic response in three patients (25%). Patients who cleared the virus had negative PCR 4 weeks after beginning therapy. All patients had adverse events. The most common clinical events were asthenia, weight loss, fever, and anorexia. Infectious complications resolved in three patients (25%). Hematologic events were common. Seven of 11 patients (63.6%) who completed therapy required dose reduction. We conclude that therapy with peginterferon and ribavirin in patients with HCV cirrhosis has a similar effectiveness to previous treatments. A virologic response 1 month after the beginning of therapy could be a main predictor of a sustained response.

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The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of different locoregional therapies in patients with HCC on the waiting list for liver transplantation. From October 2001 to July 2003, 13 patients, all men, with HCC diagnosed by cytology, were transplanted at our center. Locoregional therapies were percutaneous ethanol injection (PEI), transcatheter hepatic arterial chemoembolization (TACE), and radiofrequency microwave ablation (RFA). PEI was employed in seven patients, TACE in five (one of them associated with PEI) and RFA in one. Efficacy was evaluated by determining the percentage of tumoral necrosis in the liver explant. Five tumors were T4, four T3, three T2, and one T1. Ten were well differentiated, two moderately differentiated, and one undifferentiated. One patient died due to primary graft malfunction. After a median posttransplant follow-up of 15 months, 12 patients are alive with no sign of tumor recurrence. Most patients with solitary nodules <4 cm who received PEI had 90% to 100% tumor necrosis. Larger tumors had 25% to 30% necrosis. TACE was employed in six patients with large and/or multiple tumors, obtaining 20% to 50% tumor necrosis. RFA was employed in one case obtaining 85% necrosis (tumor of 4 cm). No serious complications occurred with any technique. According to our experience, PEI and RFA are effective locoregional therapies to treat hepatocellular carcinomas of <4 cm in patients on the waiting list. For larger tumors, their association with other techniques, such as TACE, seems adequate.

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INTRODUCTION: Although liver transplantation is performed successfully in some patients with previous portosystemic shunts (PSS), these surgical procedures have been considered a relative contraindication for orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). We aimed to determine whether a previous PSS worsens the prognosis of patients who undergo OLT. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between March 1986 and October 2003, 520 liver transplants were performed in 467 patients in our center. Thirteen patients had undergone a PSS before OLT. The types of PSS were: portocaval (n = 8), splenorenal (n = 3), mesocaval (n = 1), and portoatrial (n = 1). We compared patients with previous PSS (cases) and the three patients with an OLT immediately before each case (controls). We analyzed the following variables: age, Child-Pugh stage, pretransplant liver disease, surgical times, transfusion requirements, infections, intensive care unit (ICU) stay, postoperative evolution, and survival. RESULTS: Age, Child-Pugh stage, and pretransplant liver disease were similar in both groups. There were no statistical differences in age, surgical times, ischemia time, anhepatic phase, transfusion requirements, ICU stay, infections, or hospital stay. The postoperative course was similar in both groups. Long-term survival was 84.62% in cases versus 78.5% in controls. CONCLUSIONS: Previous PSS should not be considered a contraindication for liver transplantation, even though this group of patients involves a special surgical challenge.

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Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is the leading cause of cirrhosis worldwide. One effective strategy to prevent recurrence or transmission of HBV infection after liver transplantation exists is prescription of Lamivudine, although it is associated with high resistance rates. Adefovir dipivoxil (AD) is a nucleotide analogue of adenosine that has achieved significant results in virologic, biochemical, and clinical parameters in lamivudine-resistant HBV-infected patients. Between 1990 and 2003 7 adult recipients of orthotopic liver transplants who experienced lamivudine-resistant HBV infection (pretransplantation or posttransplantation) were enrolled in a prospective study to administer AD for 48 weeks. At baseline they showed serum HBV DNA between 2.2 x 10(6) and 1.1 x 10(8) copies/mL. After 48 weeks of AD treatment, the median time-weighted average change in serum HBV DNA (log 10 copies/mL) was -3.19 (SD, 1.65). In 3 patients with HBV, DNA was undetectable (<400 copies/mL) at the end of the follow-up. HBe antigen seroconversion was observed in 1 patient. No significant adverse effects were recorded, except for renal functional impairment in 1 patient who had previous renal insufficiency. In our study, adefovir was an effective drug to suppression HBV replication in liver transplant recipients with lamivudine-resistant HBV. Excluding renal function abnormalities, tolerance of the drug was excellent. None of the patients developed resistance to adefovir. Therapy with AD in liver transplant recipients is effective and safe, although renal function should be monitored closely.

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A 27-year-old woman previously diagnosed of aplastic anemia secondary to treatment with gold salts for rheumatoid arthritis, presented with an episode of intestinal occlusion with acute renal failure. A CT scan revealed dilated intestinal loops, thickening of the ileum wall without cecal involvement, and multiple punctuate lesions (micro-abcesses) of liver, spleen and kidneys. At laparotomy, one meter of proximal jejunum was resected. The cultures of jejunal biopsy specimens yielded Torulopsis glabrata. The patient underwent multiorgan failure and died on the 8th postoperative day.

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