Renal haemodynamics and function following partial portal decompression.

BACKGROUND: This study was undertaken to prospectively evaluate the impact of partial portal decompression on renal haemodynamics and renal function in patients with cirrhosis and portal hypertension. METHODS: Fifteen consecutive patients (median age 49 years) with cirrhosis underwent partial portal decompression through portacaval shunting or transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunting (TIPS). Cirrhosis was caused by alcohol in 47%, hepatitis C in 13%, both in 33% and autoimmune factors in 7% of patients. Child class was A in 13%, B in 20% and C in 67% of patients. The median score on the Model for End-stage Liver Disease (MELD) was 14.0 (mean 15.0 +/- 7.7). Serum creatinine (SrCr) and creatinine clearance (CrCl) were determined pre-shunt, 5 days after shunting and 1 year after shunting. Colour-flow Doppler ultrasound of the renal arteries was also undertaken with calculation of the resistive index (RI) and pulsatility index (PI). Changes in the portal vein-inferior vena cava pressure gradient with shunting were determined. RESULTS: With shunting, the portal vein-inferior vena cava gradients dropped significantly, with significant increases in PI in the early period after shunting. Creatinine clearance improved in the early post-shunt period. However, SrCr levels did not significantly improve. At 1 year after shunting, both CrCl and SrCr levels tended towards pre-shunt levels and the increase in PI did not persist. DISCUSSION: Partial portal decompression improves mild to moderate renal dysfunction in patients with cirrhosis. Early improvements in renal function after shunting begin to disappear by 1 year after shunting.

TIPS in Florida: is its application a result of evidence-based medicine?

BACKGROUND: The typical resident in surgery in the US will not care for a patient with advanced portal hypertension and will not participate in a portacaval shunt. The aim of this study is to compare the number of transjugular intrahepatic portasystemic stent shunts (TIPS) with the number of surgical shunts undertaken in the State of Florida and to assess whether these numbers are consistent with today's evidence-based medicine. METHODS: We examined the database of the Agency for Health Care Administration of the State of Florida from January 1, 2002, through September 30, 2005, for "intraabdominal venous shunt" (ICD-9 code, 39.1). Data collected include "case mix," "case severity," length of stay, total gross charges, and discharge status. Conclusions about longterm survival from a prospective randomized clinical trial comparing TIPS to surgical shunting were applied to this dataset to determine if the relative frequency of TIPS application in Florida was supported by evidence-based medicine. RESULTS: TIPS was undertaken more than 12 times as often as surgical shunting (860 patients versus 70 patients). After TIPS versus surgical shunts, average length of stay and hospital charges were less, but case mix, case severity, and in-hospital mortality (11.4% for each) were not different. Applying survival data from a randomized trial comparing TIPS with surgical shunting to the State of Florida database, 129 more people (p < 0.0001) would be alive at 2 years and 137 more (p < 0.0001) would be alive at 5 years after shunting if surgical shunts had been used in lieu of TIPS. CONCLUSIONS: TIPS leads to shorter hospitalizations and reduced hospital charges and is applied in numbers much greater than surgical shunts, despite evidence that suggests inferior longterm efficacy and survival. Current application of TIPS is not a result of evidence-based medicine, and application of surgical shunting is encouraged.

Survival and variceal rehemorrhage after shunting support small-diameter prosthetic H-graft portacaval shunt.

This study was undertaken to report variceal rebleeding and survival after small-diameter prosthetic H-graft portacaval shunts (HGPCS) and to compare actual to predicted survival after shunting. Since 1987 we have prospectively followed patients after undergoing HGPCS to treat bleeding varices failing/not amenable to sclerotherapy/banding. One hundred and seventy patients underwent shunting. Cirrhosis was because of alcohol in 56%, hepatitis in 12%, both in 11%, and other causes in 21%. Child class was A for 10%, B for 28%, and C for 62%. Thirty-three patients died by 6 months, 54 by 24 months, 87 by 60 months, and 112 by 10 years, generally because of liver failure. Fifty-one patients are alive at a median of 48.3 months, 76 months +/- 57.8 (mean +/- SD). Variceal rehemorrhage was documented in 3 (2%) patients. By child class, 5-year/10-year survival rates were as follows: A 66.7/33.3%, B 48.6/15.6%, and C 29.2/7.0%. Actual survival was superior to predicted survival (Model for End-Stage Liver Disease [MELD]), (p < 0.001). Variceal rehemorrhage in patients undergoing small-diameter prosthetic H-graft portacaval shunting was very uncommon. Actual survival was superior to predicted survival (MELD). Long-term survival paralleled degree of hepatic function, although long-term survival was possible even with very advanced cirrhosis. Application of HGPCS is encouraged.

Conventional predictors of survival poorly predict and significantly underpredict survival after H-graft portacaval shunts.

OBJECTIVE: This study was undertaken to evaluate the ability to predict survival after 8 mm prosthetic H-graft portacaval shunts (HGPCS). METHODS: Since 1988, 170 patients have been prospectively followed after HGPCS. Using preshunt data, predictors of survival after shunting [MELD Score, Emory Score, Child Pugh Score, Discriminant Function (DF), and Child Class] were determined and related to actual survival. RESULTS: Child Class was: (a) 10%, (b) 28%, and (c) 62%. Actual 5- and 10-year survival by Child Class was: (a) 67% and 33%, (b) 49% and 16%, (c) 29% and 7%. Survival correlated with all predictors of survival (p < 0.01 for each). Actual survival was better than predicted by MELD (p < 0.001). By Multiple Variable Regression Analysis--Computed Model, explained variation in survival was greatest for Child Class (18%), followed by MELD (14%), with DF, Emory Score, and Child Pugh Score not significantly contributing. CONCLUSIONS: After HGPCS, actual survival is better than predicted by MELD. Child Class explains only a minor variation in survival, although it better explains survival than MELD, Emory Score, Child Pugh Score, or DF. Conventional predictors of survival poorly and underpredict survival after HGPCS and should be used with caution.

Stage does not predict survival after resection of hilar cholangiocarcinomas promoting an aggressive operative approach.

INTRODUCTION: Staging systems have been developed to predict survival after resection of hilar cholangiocarcinoma. Notably, they have not been validated nor compared for relative predictive ability. METHODS: Forty-two patients underwent resection of hilar cholangiocarcinoma and have been followed through a prospectively collected database. The tumors were staged using the Bismuth-Corlette, Blumgart, and American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) systems, and a significant relationship with survival was sought. RESULTS: Eleven patients were treated by extrahepatic biliary resection alone, while 31 required extrahepatic biliary resections with in-continuity hepatic resections. All patients underwent adjuvant therapy. To date, 30 patients have died with a mean survival time of 30 months +/- 35.0 (SD). Twelve patients are alive with a mean survival of 90 months +/- 61.8. By regression analysis, none of the staging systems had a significant relationship with survival (Bismuth: P = .64; Blumgart: P = .66; AJCC: P = .31). CONCLUSIONS: Most patients with hilar cholangiocarcinoma require in-continuity hepatic resections. Survival after resection promotes an aggressive approach, with cure in as many as 30%. Staging systems should not impact the decision to operate or postoperative management, as all tumors should be aggressively resected and all patients should receive adjuvant treatment.

Age affects presenting symptoms of achalasia and outcomes after myotomy.

Older patients with achalasia presumably have had a longer, more indolent course than younger patients. This study was undertaken to determine the impact of patient age and duration of symptoms on symptom severity and outcome after Heller myotomy. Two hundred sixty-two patients (142 men and 120 women), of average age 49 years +/- 17.7 (SD), have undergone laparoscopic Heller myotomy. Patients scored their symptoms using a Likert scale and subjectively rated their overall outcome. Data are presented as median, mean +/- SD, when appropriate. Follow-up is 25 months, 32 months +/- 28.7. Symptom severity scores improved after myotomy (P < 0.001 for all, paired Student's t test). Before myotomy, older patients had less dysphagia, regurgitation, choking, and chest pain (P < 0.05). Duration of preoperative symptoms did not correlate with frequency of symptoms. After myotomy, older patients had lower scores for dysphagia, chest pain, choking, and heartburn (P < 0.01); patients with prolonged durations of symptoms had lower dysphagia and choking scores. Neither age nor duration of symptoms had a significant effect on overall subjective outcomes. All patients should expect significant reductions in symptoms of achalasia following myotomy. Age and duration of symptoms impact symptoms before and after myotomy, but neither seem to impact subjective measure of outcome.

Laparoscopic Heller myotomy provides durable relief from achalasia and salvages failures after botox or dilation.

OBJECTIVE: To report outcome after laparoscopic Heller myotomy in a large number of patients. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: Laparoscopic Heller myotomy has been undertaken for over a decade, but most studies involve small numbers of patients with limited follow-up. METHODS: Since 1992, 262 patients have undergone laparoscopic Heller myotomy and been prospectively followed. Concomitant fundoplication was undertaken for a patulous hiatus or large hiatal hernia or to buttress the repair of an esophagotomy until recently when it became routinely applied. With mean follow-up at 32 months, symptoms were scored by patients on a Likert scale (frequency: 0 = Never to 10 = Every time I eat/always; severity: 0 = Not bothersome to 10 = Very bothersome). RESULTS: Before myotomy, 79% received Botox or bag dilation: 52% had Botox, 59% underwent dilation, and 36% had both. Inadvertent esophagotomy occurred in 5%. Concomitant diverticulectomy was undertaken in 4%, and fundoplication was undertaken in 30%. Complications were infrequent. Median length of stay was 1 day. After myotomy, the frequency and severity of symptoms of achalasia and reflux significantly decreased. Eighty-eight percent of patients felt their symptoms were greatly improved or resolved, and 90% felt their outcome was satisfying or better. Ninety-three percent felt they would undergo myotomy again, if necessary. CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopic Heller myotomy can safely and durably relieve symptoms of dysphagia while also reducing symptoms of reflux. Length of stay is short and patient satisfaction is very high with extended follow-up. Laparoscopic Heller myotomy is strongly encouraged for patients with symptomatic achalasia and is efficacious even after failures of dilation and/or Botox therapy.

Esophagotomy during laparoscopic Heller myotomy cannot be predicted by preoperative therapies and does not influence long-term outcome.

The conventional wisdom is that inadvertent esophagotomy complicates laparoscopic Heller myotomy. This study was undertaken to determine if esophagotomy at myotomy can be predicted by preoperative therapy, and if esophagotomy and/or its repair jeopardizes outcomes. Of 222 laparoscopic Heller myotomies undertaken since 1992, inadvertent esophagotomy occurred in 16 patients (7%); 60 patients who underwent myotomy without esophagotomy were utilized for comparison. Dysphagia and reflux before/after myotomy were scored by patients on a Likert scale (0-5). The median (mean +/- SD) follow-up after myotomy with esophagotomy was 38.8 months (31.6 +/- 21.9 months) versus 46.3 months (51.0 +/- 21.2 months) after myotomy alone. All esophagotomies were immediately recognized and repaired. Patients who experienced esophagotomy were similar to those who did not in application of Botox (56% vs. 77%) or dilation (44% vs. 65%), years of dysphagia (7.3 +/- 5.4 vs. 7.4 +/- 6.0), and mean preoperative dysphagia score (4.9 +/- 0.4 vs. 4.8 +/- 0.4). Esophagotomy led to longer hospitalizations (5.2 days +/- 2.5 days vs. 1.5 days +/- 0.7 days, P < 0.05) but not different postoperative dysphagia scores (1.5 +/- 1.7 vs. 2.1 +/- 1.4), reflux scores (1.4 +/- 1.7 vs. 2.3 +/- 1.3), or good or excellent outcomes (86% vs 84%). Esophagotomy during laparoscopic Heller myotomy is infrequent and cannot be predicted by preoperative therapy or duration or severity of dysphagia. Furthermore, complications after esophagotomy are infrequent and outcomes are indistinguishable from those of patients undergoing uneventful myotomy.

H-graft portacaval shunts versus TIPS: ten-year follow-up of a randomized trial with comparison to predicted survivals.

OBJECTIVE: To report long-term outcome of patients undergoing prosthetic 8-mm H-graft portacaval shunts (HGPCS) or TIPS and to compare actual with predicted survival data. METHODS: A randomized trial comparing TIPS to HGPCS for bleeding varices began in 1993. Predicted survival was determined using MELD (Model for End-stage Liver Disease). RESULTS: Patients undergoing TIPS (N = 66) or HGPCS (N = 66) were very similar by Child's class and MELD scores and predicted survival. After TIPS (P = 0.01) and HGPCS (P = 0.001), actual survival was superior to predicted survival. Through 24 months, actual survival after HGPCS was superior to actual survival after TIPS (P = 0.04). Compared with TIPS, survival was superior after HGPCS for patients of Child's class A and B (P = 0.07) and with MELD scores less than 13 (P = 0.04) with follow-up at 5 to 10 years. Shunt failure was less following HGPCS (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Predicted survival data for patients undergoing TIPS or HGPCS confirms an unbiased randomization. Actual survival following TIPS or HGPCS was superior to predicted survival. Shunt failure favored HGPCS, as did survival after shunting, particularly for the first few years after shunting and for patients of Child's class A or B or with MELD scores less than 13. This trial irrefutably establishes a role for surgical shunting, particularly HGPCS.

In-continuity hepatic resection for advanced hilar cholangiocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to examine outcomes of patients undergoing concomitant hepatectomy and bile duct excision for advanced Klatskin tumors. METHODS: Thirty-one patients, 16 men and 15 women, with an average age of 64 years, underwent concomitant biliary and hepatic resections for Klatskin tumors. Outcomes, including complications and survival, are reported. RESULTS: Fifteen patients had postoperative courses free of complications. Sixteen patients experienced a total of 50 complications; 13 patients experienced 1 or more major complications (including hemorrhage [n = 1], pneumonia [n = 5], intra-abdominal abscess [n = 8], hepatic failure [n = 3], and myocardial infarction [n = 2]). Five patients died perioperatively, 1 from adult respiratory distress syndrome and 4 from multisystem organ failure precipitated by hepatic failure. One-, 3-, and 5-year survival after resection was 69%, 33%, and 26%, respectively. American Joint Committee on Cancer stage and margin status did not impact long-term survival after resection. CONCLUSIONS: Concomitant hepatic and biliary resections for Klatskin tumors carry relatively high risk but offer hope for long-term survival. This study supports in-continuity hepatectomy and extrahepatic biliary resection for advanced Klatskin tumors even when microscopically negative margins cannot be obtained.

TIPS versus peritoneovenous shunt in the treatment of medically intractable ascites: a prospective randomized trial.

OBJECTIVE: We undertook a prospective randomized clinical trial comparing TIPS to peritoneovenous (PV) shunts in the treatment of medically intractable ascites to establish relative efficacy and morbidity, and thereby superiority, between these shunts. METHODS: Thirty-two patients were prospectively randomized to undergo TIPS or peritoneovenous (Denver) shunts. All patients had failed medical therapy. RESULTS: After TIPS versus peritoneovenous shunts, median (mean +/- SD) duration of shunt patency was similar: 4.4 months (6 +/- 6.6 months) versus 4.0 months (5 +/- 4.6 months). Assisted shunt patency was longer after TIPS: 31.1 months (41 +/- 25.9 months) versus 13.1 months (19 +/- 17.3 months) (P < 0.01, Wilcoxon test). Ultimately, after TIPS 19% of patients had irreversible shunt occlusion versus 38% of patients after peritoneovenous shunts. Survival after TIPS was 28.7 months (41 +/- 28.7 months) versus 16.1 months (28 +/- 29.7 months) after peritoneovenous shunts. Control of ascites was achieved sooner after peritoneovenous shunts than after TIPS (73% vs. 46% after 1 month), but longer-term efficacy favored TIPS (eg, 85% vs. 40% at 3 years). CONCLUSION: TIPS and peritoneovenous shunts treat medically intractable ascites. Absence of ascites after either is uncommon. PV shunts control ascites sooner, although TIPS provides better long-term efficacy. After either shunt, numerous interventions are required to assist patency. Assisted shunt patency is better after TIPS. Treating medically refractory ascites with TIPS risks early shunt-related mortality for prospects of longer survival with ascites control. This study promotes the application of TIPS for medically intractable ascites if patients undergoing TIPS have prospects beyond short-term survival.

Portal blood flow, effective hepatic blood flow, and outcome after partial portal decompression.

What a great time to practice Surgery! Things we only dreamed about 20 years ago are finding their way into clinical care and greater advances are around the corner. As practicing surgeons, we have prospered by being raised on the shoulders of giants in Surgery that trained and inspired us. Dr. David B. Skinner was such a giant.

Reoperative fundoplications are effective treatment for dysphagia and recurrent gastroesophageal reflux.

With wide application of antireflux surgery, reoperations for failed fundoplications are increasingly seen. This study was undertaken to document outcomes after reoperative fundoplications. Sixty-four patients, 26 men and 38 women, of average age 55 years+/-15.6 (SD), underwent reoperative antireflux surgery between 1992 and 2003. Fundoplication prior to reoperation had been undertaken via celiotomy in 27 and laparoscopically in 37. Both before and after reoperative antireflux surgery, patients scored their reflux and dysphagia on a Likert Scale (0 = none, 10 = continuous). Reoperation was undertaken because of dysphagia in 16 per cent, recurrent reflux in 52 per cent (median DeMeester Score 52), or both in 27 per cent. Failure leading to reoperation was due to hiatal failure in 28 per cent, wrap failure in 19 per cent, both in 33 per cent, and slipped Nissen fundoplication in 20 per cent. Laparoscopic reoperations were completed in 49 of 54 patients (91%); 15 had reoperations undertaken via celiotomy. Eighty-eight per cent of reoperations were Nissen fundoplications. With reoperation, Dysphagia Scores improved from 9.5+/-0.7 to 2.6+/-2.8, and Reflux Scores improved from 9.1+/-1.4 to 1.8+/-2.7. Seventy-nine per cent of patients with reflux prior to reoperation, 100 per cent with dysphagia, and 74 per cent with both noted excellent or good outcomes after reoperation. We conclude that failure after fundoplication occurs. Reoperations reduce the severity of dysphagia and reflux, thus salvaging excellent and good outcomes in most. Laparoscopic reoperations are generally possible. Reoperative fundoplications are effective treatment for dysphagia and recurrent gastroesophageal reflux, and their application is encouraged.