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Biomedical subjects

Telesforo Bacchella

Publications and source records attributed to Telesforo Bacchella.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Hepatocyte transplantation: State of the art.

Advances in biotechnology have allowed hepatocyte transplantation as a relevant proposition to treat liver disease. This procedure may change the crescent mortality in liver transplantation waiting lists due global organ shortage. Recent clinical trials have described promising results of hepatocyte transplantation for acute, acute-on-chronic and metabolic liver disease. In this report, we discuss progresses regarding hepatocyte culture, cryopreservation systems, hepatocyte immortalization, suitable recipient site for hepatocyte engraftment, cell differentiation and fusion into hepatocytes, current clinical trials, and summarize the bioartificial liver systems. These progressions motivate expectation concerning hepatocyte transplantation as a consistent therapy for liver disease.

Journal Article↗

Hypertonic saline solution increases cerebral perfusion pressure during clinical orthotopic liver transplantation for fulminant hepatic failure: preliminary results.

UNLABELLED: During orthotopic liver transplantation for fulminant hepatic failure, some patients may develop sudden deterioration of cerebral perfusion and oxygenation, mainly due to increased intracranial pressure and hypotension, which are likely responsible for postoperative neurological morbidity and mortality. In the present study, we hypothesized that the favorable effects of hypertonic saline solution (NaCl 7.5%, 4 mL/kg) infusion on both systemic and cerebral hemodynamics, demonstrated in laboratory and clinical settings of intracranial hypertension and hemorrhagic shock resuscitation, may attenuate the decrease in cerebral perfusion pressure that often occurs during orthotopic liver transplantation for fulminant hepatic failure. METHODS: 10 patients with fulminant hepatic failure in grade IV encephalopathy undergoing orthotopic liver transplantation with intracranial pressure monitoring were included in this study. The effect on cerebral and systemic hemodynamics in 3 patients who received hypertonic saline solution during anhepatic phase (HSS group) was examined, comparing their data with historical controls obtained from surgical procedure recordings in 7 patients (Control group). The maximal intracranial pressure and the corresponding mean arterial pressure values were collected in 4 time periods: (T1) the last 10 min of the dissection phase, (T2) the first 10 minutes at the beginning of anhepatic phase, (T3) at the end of the anhepatic phase, and (T4) the first 5 minutes after graft reperfusion. RESULTS: Immediately after hypertonic saline solution infusion, intracranial pressure decreased 50.4%. During the first 5 min of reperfusion, the intracranial pressure remained stable in the HSS group, and all these patients presented an intracranial pressure lower than 20 mm Hg, while in the Control group, the intracranial pressure increased 46.5% (P < 0.001). The HSS group was the most hemodynamically stable; the mean arterial pressure during the first 5 min of reperfusion increased 21.1% in the HSS group and decreased 11.1% in the Control group (P < 0.001). During the first 5 min of reperfusion, cerebral perfusion pressure increased 28.3% in the HSS group while in the Control group the cerebral perfusion pressure decreased 28.5% (P < 0.001). Serum sodium at the end of the anhepatic phase and 3 hours after reperfusion was significantly higher in the HSS group (153.00 +/- 2.66 and 149.00 +/- 1.73 mEq/L) than in the Control group (143.71 +/- 3.30 and 142.43 +/- 1.72 mEq/L), P = 0.003 and P < 0.001 respectively. CONCLUSION: Hypertonic saline solution can be successfully used as an adjunct in the neuroprotective strategy during orthotopic liver transplantation for fulminant hepatic failure, reducing intracranial pressure while restoring arterial blood pressure, promoting sustained increase in the cerebral perfusion pressure.

Brain↗

Feasibility of bisegmentectomy 7-8 is independent of the presence of a large inferior right hepatic vein.

BACKGROUND: Right superior liver resection or bisegmentectomy 7-8 is defined as the anatomical removal of segments 7 and 8 of the liver. According to recent reports, this type of resection requires the presence of a large accessory right inferior hepatic vein to drain the remaining segment 6. However, anatomic studies have shown that segment 6 has multiple veins presenting several anastomosis with the surrounding hepatic veins. Therefore, the maintenance of the veins from segment 5 that ultimately drain into the middle hepatic vein can be enough to assure venous drainage of both segments. METHODS: Describe an alternative technique for bisegmentectomy 7-8 using intrahepatic glissonian access in patients with absence of a large inferior right hepatic vein. RESULTS: The technique was successfully performed in four consecutive patients without immediate or long-term venous or venous related complications. CONCLUSIONS: Bisegmentectomy 7-8 may increase resectability rate in patients with bilateral lesions and may also enhance the opportunity to perform repeated resections in cases of tumor recurrence. Our study confirms the anatomical assumption that bisegmentectomy 7-8 did not result in segmental outflow block even in the absence of a thick inferior right hepatic vein and therefore should be performed more often than reported so far. The absence of this vein should not be a straightforward indication for right hepatectomy in cases where a liver-sparing procedure such as bisegmentectomy 7-8 can be safely employed.

Anastomosis, Surgical↗

Liver resection as the definitive treatment for unilateral non-oriental primary intrahepatic lithiasis.

BACKGROUND: The current study sought to evaluate the results of liver resection as the treatment for unilateral non-oriental primary intrahepatic lithiasis (PHIL). METHODS: Twenty-seven symptomatic patients (mean age 42 years) were submitted to liver resection; the indications were parenchymal fibrosis/atrophy in 22 and biliary stenosis in 5. Resection was associated with a Roux-en-Y hepaticojejunostomy in patients with a significant degree of dilation of the extrahepatic biliary duct. RESULTS: There was no operative mortality and the morbidity rate was 7.4% (2 patients with biliary fistula). After a median follow-up of 41.2 months, the overall rate of good results was 92.6%. All patients submitted to liver resection alone presented good late results, while 80% of those with associated hepaticojejunostomy did not have complications (P = .12). Late complications were observed in 2 patients (7.4%): 1 with a liver abscess and 1 with cholangitis and recurrent stones. There was no mortality during long-term follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Liver resection showed low incidence of complications and good long-term results. None of the patients with unilateral disease without associated extrahepatic bile duct dilation presented complications and they were considered cured. We believe that resection indications should be expanded and the procedure should be indicated as routine in patients with unilateral PHIL even in the absence of parenchymal fibrosis/atrophy or biliary stenosis.

Adult↗

Intrahepatic Glissonian access for segmental liver resection in cirrhotic patients.

The main goal of segmental technique is to preserve the maximum amount of liver parenchyma. Liver-preserving techniques are especially important for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and cirrhosis. We report the technique for segmental liver resection in cirrhotic patients and detail technical difficulties and immediate surgical outcome. For right segmental liver resections the intrahepatic access is performed through small incisions around the hilar plate. Left segmental resection technique also consists of small incisions following specific anatomic landmarks. Nineteen cirrhotic patients underwent segmental liver resections. A blood transfusion was required in 2 patients. No patient experienced major bleeding from the liver incisions made for intrahepatic access. The median hospital stay was 5 days. No surgical mortality occurred. The intrahepatic access technique allows individual resections of liver segments and is feasible even in cirrhotic patients. Knowledge of segmental liver resection techniques is an essential armamentarium in the modern era of liver surgery.

Adult↗

Unusual case of pentastomiasis mimicking liver tumor.

Pentastomiasis is a rare zoonotic disease. Almost all recorded cases of human pentastomiasis had been incidental findings at autopsy. We report an unusual case of human pentastomiasis mimicking liver tumor successfully treated by liver resection. This clinical presentation is uncommon and it was probably caused by a pentastomid that exited its cyst and migrated to the liver causing an infarct that was mistaken as a primary liver tumor. Diagnosis could not be made before the surgery. This is the first reported case of human pentastomiasis in Brazil.

Animals↗

[Use of vascular stapling device in liver resections].

BACKGROUND: Among several liver resection techniques, the use of stapler in the portal pedicles is an interesting option. AIM: To describe the technique of liver resection using a vascular stapling device. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of eight patients underwent hepatic resections with stapling techniques. The authors have used intrahepatic approach glissonian pedicles with the application of a vascular stapler device in all cases. Liver parenchyma and hepatic veins were transected as usual. RESULTS: There were no deaths. No complications directly attributable to stapler ligations of portal pedicles were observed. CONCLUSION: Stapling techniques can be helpful in hepatic resection procedures. The vascular stapler may significantly reduce glissonian pedicle section time.

Adult↗

Non-Oriental primary intrahepatic lithiasis: experience with 48 cases.

An experience with the diagnosis and treatment of patients with non-Oriental primary intrahepatic lithiasis (PIHL) is described. A group of 48 native Brazilian patients with symptomatic PIHL were studied, and the patients' characteristics, diagnoses, treatment protocols based on the presentation of the disease, prognostic factors, and late results were analyzed. Liver resection was performed in patients with an irreversible lesion, such as parenchymal atrophy or biliary stenosis; and biliary drainage procedures were employed in patients with bilateral disease. Late results were considered good when no postoperative symptoms were observed and poor if there was pain recurrence or cholangitis. Overall good results were observed in 73.4% of the patients. Good late results were observed in 94.1% and 62.1% of the patients with unilateral and bilateral stones, respectively. None of the analyzed parameters (gender, age, previous biliary surgery, bilirubin level, serum leukocyte counts, prothrombin activity, previous history of cholangitis, stone location) predicted poor late results, but the risk for patients with bilateral stones to develop late complications was 7.2 times higher than for those with unilateral disease. Non-Oriental PIHL is a rare disease, and the patients' characteristics are similar to those of patients with Oriental PIHL. We believe that personalized treatment based on the presentation of the disease led to the high incidence of good late results in this series.

Adolescent↗

Anatomic left hepatic trisegmentectomy.

The technique of left trisegmentectomy was first published in 1982 and consists in the removal of the left liver (segments II, III, and IV) along with the right anterior sector (segments V and VIII). This procedure is based on the knowledge of the segmental liver anatomy. There are only a few technical reports describing this complex procedure. We describe an anatomic and standardized way to identify and isolate the glissonian sheaths of the left liver segments along with the portal pedicles from right anterior sector (segments V and VIII). The middle and left hepatic veins are dissected using Arantius ligament as landmark. With this technique, it is possible to achieve inflow and outflow control of the involved liver segments without hilar dissection or clamping. This technique provides a safe way to perform a left extended hepatectomy without warm ischemia of the relatively small remnant liver.

Clinical Competence↗

Hemihepatic ischemia for laparoscopic liver resection.

Laparoscopic hepatectomy has been recently proposed for the treatment of liver tumors. However, because of technical difficulties such as control of hemorrhage from the transection plane and large intrahepatic veins, laparoscopic hepatectomy has not been widely developed. The technique of hemihepatic ischemia has been used by the authors in conventional liver resection over the past 10 years with reduced splanchnic congestion and excellent hemostatic control. To minimize both intraoperative bleeding and circulatory and biochemical disturbances due to the interruption of blood flow to the liver, the authors describe a new technique combining hemihepatic ischemia and laparoscopic liver resection.

Blood Loss, Surgical↗

Portal vein resection: a modified technique for reconstruction after pancreaticoduodenectomy.

Pancreaticoduodenectomy is the only curative treatment for pancreatic head tumors. The possibility to achieve a potentially curative surgical treatment is limited to patients in which a complete tumor resection can be performed with free surgical margins. In a small number of patients with localized pancreatic cancer, negative margins are only accomplished with portal vein resection. Pancreaticoduodenectomy is often avoided in these patients due to the mistaken concept that venous resection may be followed by higher mortality and carries poorer survival. Actually, these patients present the same survival rate as patients similarly staged in whom portal vein resection was not performed. Therefore, venous resection is worthwhile. The authors describe an alternative technique for venous reconstruction after resection of a long segment of portal or superior mesenteric vein. The use of a venous graft as proposed in this study is feasible, easy to perform, and may simplify the venous reconstruction even in extensive mesentericoportal venous resection.

Humans↗

Protective effect of N2-mercaptopropionylglycine on rats and dogs liver during ischemia/reperfusion process.

BACKGROUND: N2-mercaptopropionylglycine is a powerful super oxide synthesis inhibitor and has been tested as a preventive agent of metabolic and structural hepatic damage in the ischemia/reperfusion process. AIM: To analyze some effects of N2-mercaptopropionylglycine administration to animals of two species submitted to normothermic liver ischemia/reperfusion. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Twenty-two rats and 22 dogs were divided into four groups: group I: rats that received intravenous saline 0.9%; group II: rats that received 100 mg/kg of N2-mercaptopropionylglycine; group III: dogs that received saline intravenous 0.9% and group IV: dogs that received 100 mg/kg N2-mercaptopropionylglycine. RESULTS: Ten minutes after the saline or drug administration, each group was submitted to left lobe liver ischemia for 25 minutes followed by reperfusion. Biochemical studies 24 hours after reperfusion revealed a significantly lower elevation of transaminases in animals of groups II (AST = 271 +/- 182; ALT = 261 +/- 161 ) and IV (AST = 101 +/- 45; ALT = 123 +/- 89) when compared to the controls group: I (AST = 2144 +/- 966; ALT = 1869 +/- 1040 00) and III (AST = 182 +/- 76.51; ALT = 277 +/- 219), respectively. Histology study demonstrated a significantly minor aggression to animals of groups II and IV when compared to groups I and III, respectively. CONCLUSION: These results suggest a significant release of free radicals of oxygen in the process and that N2-mercaptopropionylglycine may have a significant protective effect on liver parenchyma when submitted to ischemia/reperfusion.

Alanine Transaminase↗

[Small intestine transplantation].

BACKGROUND: Significant progress has been made in clinical small bowel transplantation over the last decade mainly due advances in biotechnology and new immunosuppressive regiments. This transplantation has now been indicated to treat special cases of intestinal failure. AIM: This review highlights recent developments in the area of small bowel transplantation. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Over 600 reports on clinical and experimental small bowel transplantation were reviewed. Aspects concerning research development, different immunosuppressive strategies, patient and graft monitoring, and improvements in surgical techniques are discussed. RESULTS: About 700 small bowel transplantation were performed in 55 transplant centers, 44% intestine-liver, 41% isolated intestinal graft and 15% multivisceral transplantation. Rejection and infection are the main limitation of this procedure. Actual 5 years post transplantation graft survival of the total international experience is 46% for isolated intestinal graft, 43% for combined intestine-liver and nearly 30% for multivisceral transplantation. Higher graft and patient survival are seen at the more experienced centers. In a series of 165 intestinal transplantation at University of Pittsburgh, PA, USA, actuarial patient survival was reported to be over 75% at one year, 54% at 5 years and 42% at 10 years. Over 90% patients from Pittsburgh program resume an unrestricted oral diet. CONCLUSION: Small bowel transplantation has advanced from an experimental strategy to a feasible alternative for patients with permanent intestinal failure. Further refinements in graft acceptance, immunosuppressive regiments, infection management and prophylaxis, surgical techniques as well as appropriated patient referral and selection are crucial to improve outcomes.

Follow-Up Studies↗

A canine model of laparoscopic segmental liver resection.

Laparoscopic hepatectomy has been recently proposed for the treatment of liver tumors, however there is a lack of experimental models to study surgical technique and the metabolic reactions after this procedure. The dog is an important animal for research but the laparoscopic hepatectomy model is not well established in this animal. We describe the surgical laparoscopic technique of left liver segmentectomy in the dog and the preliminary results of this procedure. Female dogs weighting more then 15 kg were used. Four transversal abdominal incisions (two of 1 cm and two of 0.5 cm) were made for the introduction of the video camera and the other laparoscopic instruments. The liver was inspected and the left lobe was mobilized through incision of the left triangular hepatic ligament. The vascular pedicle corresponding to the left medial lobe (corresponding to segment II) was identified, dissected, and clamped, delimiting a correspondent ischemic area. The hepatic parenchyma was divided according to the previous delimitation with minimum bleeding. The segment of the liver was then removed through an enlarged abdominal incision. The incisions were closed by continuous suture. The mean time of the procedure was forty minutes. We observed normal clinical evolution without any sign of complications due to the hepatic resection, and normal augmentation of body weight on follow-up of more than 3 months. Left hepatectomy in the dog is a viable procedure and may serve for surgical training and development of research projects in this field.

Animals↗

Critical analysis of the allocation policy for liver transplantation in Brazil.

Liver transplantation is now the standard treatment for end-stage liver disease. Given the shortage of liver donors and the progressively higher number of patients waiting for transplantation, improvements in patient selection and optimization of timing for transplantation are needed. Several solutions have been suggested, including increasing the donor pool; a fair policy for allocation, not permitting variables such as age, gender, and race, or third-party payer status to play any role; and knowledge of the natural history of each liver disease for which transplantation is offered. To observe ethical rules and distributive justice (guarantee to every citizen the same opportunity to get an organ), the "sickest first" policy must be used. Studies have demonstrated that death has no relationship with waiting time, but rather with the severity of liver disease at the time of inclusion. Thus, waiting time is no longer part of the United Network for Organ Sharing distribution criteria. Waiting time only differentiates between equally severely diseased patients. The authors have analyzed the waiting list mortality and 1-year survival for patients of the State of S o Paulo, from July 1997 through January 2001. Only the chronological criterion was used. According to "Secretaria de Estado da Saúde de São Paulo" data, among all waiting list deaths, 82.2% occurred within the first year, and 37.6% within the first 3 months following inclusion. The allocation of livers based on waiting time is neither fair nor ethical, impairs distributive justice and human rights, and does not occur in any other part of the world.

Brazil↗