Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to L Spahr.
A patient who was studied for portal hypertension had an enlarged liver and multiple hepatic cysts on abdominal CT scan. He underwent hepatobiliary scintigraphy using Tc-99m mebrofenin which documented communication of the cysts with the main biliary tree and allowed a noninvasive diagnosis of Caroli syndrome associated with congenital hepatic fibrosis.
Hepatorenal syndrome (HRS) is a functional renal failure occurring in advanced liver cirrhosis with ascites. It is due to renal cortical vasoconstriction resulting from complex hemodynamic disturbances related to cirrhosis and portal hypertension. There is no consistently effective therapy except for liver transplantation. We report a case of severe HRS in a patient with advanced liver cirrhosis and portal hypertension. Three sessions of hemodialysis were performed because of severe renal failure (serum urea 83 mg/dl, serum creatinine 6 mg/dl). Creation of an intrahepatic portosystemic shunt reduced the portocaval gradient from 18 to 7 mm Hg. Spectacular improvement of the renal function was observed soon after the procedure, with spontaneous recovery of diuresis and a return of serum urea and creatinine to baseline values. The patient unfortunately died 2 months later from adult respiratory distress syndrome post emergency surgery for a massive bleed related to a duodenal ulcer. Throughout this episode, the renal function remained stable. The postmortem examination showed histologically normal kidneys. We conclude that the intrahepatic portosystemic shunt can improve renal function in cirrhotic patients with HRS; it could be used in patients awaiting liver transplantation to reverse preoperative renal failure.
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BACKGROUND/AIMS: The clinical features of peritonitis are usually absent in cirrhotic patients with an ascitic fluid infection, raising the interest for specific biological markers of inflammation. METHODOLOGY: We prospectively measured the plasma and ascitic fluid levels of procalcitonin, an innovative infection parameter, interleukin-6, and C-reactive protein in 20 cirrhotics with or without spontaneous bacterial peritonitis. The patient's condition was followed-up for 12 weeks after paracentesis. RESULTS: None of the 10 patients with spontaneous bacterial peritonitis presented with severe systemic signs of infection. Procalcitonin level in plasma, but not in ascites, was significantly higher in patients with spontaneous bacterial peritonitis compared to controls (0.74 +/- 0.6 vs. 0.2 +/- 0.1 ng/mL, P < 0.05). Interleukin-6 levels in ascites were similar between groups. C-reactive protein concentrations were higher both in plasma and in ascitic fluid in patients with spontaneous bacterial peritonitis compared to controls (85.3 +/- 63 vs. 18.6 +/- 19 mg/dL, 24.6 +/- 25 vs. 4.5 +/- 4 mg/dL, P < 0.05, respectively). Three patients with spontaneous bacterial peritonitis died, but the outcome was not related to the concentrations of biological markers. CONCLUSIONS: In spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, procalcitonin measurement is not an accurate diagnostic test, possibly due to the absence of systemic inflammatory response syndrome in this condition. In addition, the diagnostic value of C-reactive protein is limited by the wide overlap between values.
Hepatocellular carcinoma is one of the most frequent tumors worldwide, and its frequency is increasing. The management of hepatocellular carcinoma has changed in recent years, this because screening allows to discover tumors at an earlier stage, and because of effective treatments are available, such as liver transplantation, liver resection, percutaneous ablation and transarterial chemoembolization. Each one of these treatments has its own advantages and drawbacks, and range of application according to the stage of the tumor and of the underlying liver disease. This review summarizes the recent progress in the management of HCC and the practice in our unit.