Computational fluid dynamics simulation of time-resolved blood flow in Budd-Chiari syndrome with inferior vena cava stenosis and its implication for postoperative efficacy assessment.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to adopt computational fluid dynamics to simulate the blood flow dynamics in inferior vena cava stenosis based on time-dependent patient-specific models of Budd-Chiari syndrome as well as a normal model. It could offer valuable references for a retrospective insight into the underlying mechanisms of Budd-Chiari syndrome pathogenesis as well as more accurate evaluation of postoperative efficacy. METHODS: Three-dimensional inferior vena cava models of Budd-Chiari syndrome patient-specific (preoperative and postoperative) and normal morphology model were reconstructed as per magnetic resonance images using Simpleware. Moreover, computational fluid dynamics of time-resolved inferior vena cava blood flow were simulated using actual patient-specific measurements to reflect time-dependent flow rates. FINDINGS: The assessment of the preoperative model revealed the dramatic variations of hemodynamic parameters of the stenotic inferior vena cava. Moreover, the comparison of the preoperative and postoperative models with the normal model as benchmark showed that postoperative hemodynamic parameters were markedly ameliorated via stenting, with the attenuation of overall velocity and wall shear stress, and the increase of pressure. However, the comparative analysis of the patient-specific simulations revealed that some postoperative hemodynamic profiles still bore some resemblance to the preoperative ones, indicating potential risks of restenosis. INTERPRETATION: Computational fluid dynamics simulation of time-resolved blood flow could reveal the tight correlation between the hemodynamic characteristics and the pathological mechanisms of inferior vena cava stenosis. Furthermore, such time-resolved hemodynamic profiles could provide a quantitative approach to diagnosis, operative regimen and postoperative evaluation of Budd-Chiari syndrome with inferior vena cava stenosis.

Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound is a Useful Adjunct to Doppler Ultrasound in the Initial Assessment of Patients Suspected of Budd Chiari Syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Doppler is the screening modality of choice for assessment of patients suspected of Budd Chiari syndrome (BCS). The aim of this study was to compare the diagnostic value of contrast enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) with Doppler in the initial evaluation of patients with BCS. METHODS: This was a retrospective study of patients with suspicion of BCS who underwent CEUS of the hepatic veins and inferior vena cava between July 2017 and April 2019. CEUS was performed using Sonovue. All patients underwent Doppler evaluation of the hepatic veins and inferior vena cava. The final diagnosis of BCS was based on transvenous or percutaneous digital subtraction venography. The diagnostic accuracy of CEUS was compared with Doppler. RESULTS: A total of 19 patients (median age, 30 years; 11 males) were evaluated with CEUS and Doppler. A final diagnosis of BCS was established on digital subtraction venography in 15 patients. CEUS was found to have a 100% sensitivity and 75% specificity. The sensitivity and specificity of Doppler was 100% and 25%. The diagnostic accuracies of CEUS and Doppler were 94.74% and 84.29%, respectively. CONCLUSION: CEUS is a useful adjunct to the Doppler in the initial assessment of patients with BCS. However, further prospective studies must confirm our preliminary observations.

Ultrasound liver elastography beyond liver fibrosis assessment.

Several guidelines have indicated that liver stiffness (LS) assessed by means of shear wave elastography (SWE) can safely replace liver biopsy in several clinical scenarios, particularly in patients with chronic viral hepatitis. However, an increase of LS may be due to some other clinical conditions not related to fibrosis, such as liver inflammation, acute hepatitis, obstructive cholestasis, liver congestion, infiltrative liver diseases. This review analyzes the role that SWE can play in cases of liver congestion due to right-sided heart failure, congenital heart diseases or valvular diseases. In patients with heart failure LS seems directly influenced by central venous pressure and can be used as a prognostic marker to predict cardiac events. The potential role of LS in evaluating liver disease beyond the stage of liver fibrosis has been investigated also in the hepatic sinusoidal obstruction syndrome (SOS) and in the Budd-Chiari syndrome. In the hepatic SOS, an increase of LS is observed some days before the clinical manifestations; therefore, it could allow an early diagnosis to timely start an effective treatment. Moreover, it has been reported that patients that were successfully treated showed a LS decrease, that reached pre-transplantation value within two to four weeks. It has been reported that, in patients with Budd-Chiari syndrome, LS values can be used to monitor short and long-term outcome after angioplasty.

Real-time shear wave elastography (SWE) assessment of short- and long-term treatment outcome in Budd-Chiari syndrome: A pilot study.

PURPOSE: The first aim of this study was to analyze the relationships between liver stiffness measurement, hepatic venous pressure and liver fibrosis. The second aim was to demonstrate the utility of real-time shear wave elastography for evaluation of Budd-Chiari syndrome patients before and after balloon hepatic venous angioplasty. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 32 patients with Budd-Chiari syndrome slated for successful balloon angioplasty met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Shear wave elastography was used to generate dynamic liver stiffness measurement 2 days before angioplasty and 2 days, 3 months, and 6 months after angioplasty. Hepatic venous pressures were measured during balloon angioplasty. Correlations among liver stiffness, hepatic venous pressure, and fibrosis were assessed. RESULT: Mean liver stiffness was 35.17 ± 10.60 kPa, 20.15 ± 5.47 kPa, 15.36 ± 4.34 kPa and 15.68 ± 5.58 kPa at baseline and 2 days, 3 months, and 6 months after angioplasty, respectively. Liver stiffness measured at 2 days and 3 months after angioplasty was significantly decreased (P < 0.001); liver stiffness measured at 6 months after angioplasty was not significantly different from that measured at 3 months after angioplasty (P = 0.636). Analysis of liver stiffness measurement and hepatic venous pressure before balloon angioplasty yielded a coefficient of correlation r = 0.701 (P < 0.001). Before and 2d after angioplasty, liver stiffness measurement did not correlated with fibrosis (r = - 0.170, P = 0.22), (r = 0.223, P = 0.220), respectively, while the LSM difference before and 2 days after angioplasty negatively correlated with stiffness severity (r = - 0.502, P = 0.003). Liver stiffness measured at 2 days and 3 months after angioplasty was significantly decreased (P < 0.001), remaining stable at 3 months, though still in the cirrhotic range. CONCLUSIONS: The liver stiffness of Budd-Chiari syndrome patients, measured by shear wave elastography, decreased considerably after hepatic venous recanalization, and significantly correlated with hepatic venous pressure though not with degree of fibrosis. Shear wave elastography may be effective in monitoring short- and long-term treatment outcomes in Budd-Chiari syndrome.

Changes in Liver Congestion in Patients with Budd-Chiari Syndrome following Endovascular Interventions: Assessment with Transient Elastography.

PURPOSE: Transient elastography (TE) is routinely used for noninvasive staging of hepatic fibrosis. The objective of the present study was to investigate the role of TE (FibroScan) in determining changes in liver congestion in patients with Budd-Chiari syndrome (BCS) treated by endovascular interventions and determine the effects of pretreatment Meta-analysis of Histological Data in Viral Hepatitis (METAVIR) fibrosis score on posttreatment liver stiffness (LS). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-five patients undergoing endovascular procedures for treatment of BCS underwent TE immediately before and within 24 hours after the procedure. Fifteen patients available for 3-month follow-up were again subjected to TE. Mean LS values before and after intervention were compared in 12 of these patients for whom METAVIR scores were available. Pressure gradient changes across the stenosed hepatic veins/inferior vena cava were measured during the procedure. Statistical analysis of these data was performed by Wilcoxon signed-rank test, Mann-Whitney U test, and Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient. RESULTS: Significant differences were found between mean LS measurements before and within 24 hours after intervention (Z-score = 4.372) and between the mean values obtained before and 3 months after treatment (Z-score = 3.408). Mean changes in LS values after intervention in patients with METAVIR fibrosis scores ≤ 2 and > 2 were not significant. There was no correlation between changes in pressure gradients and the degree of LS. CONCLUSIONS: TE is a useful tool to assess the reduction in hepatic congestion in patients with BCS undergoing endovascular interventions.

Comparison of 3.0T MRI with 3D LAVA sequence and digital subtraction angiography for the assessment of accessory hepatic veins in Budd-Chiari syndrome.

PURPOSE: To compare 3D liver acceleration volume acquisition (LAVA) and digital subtraction angiography (DSA) for evaluating the presence of accessory hepatic veins (AHV) in Budd-Chiari syndrome (BCS). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective study in 228 patients with BCS who underwent 3.0T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with the 3D LAVA sequence. Two reviewers noted AHV: openings located in the inferior vena cava (IVC), caliber, and the angle of entering into the IVC. MRI results were compared to DSA. Kappa statistics were calculated to quantify intrareader variability in detecting AHVs. RESULTS: On MRI, 63 patients demonstrated no AHV on LAVA images, 70 had one AHV, 62 had two AHVs, 26 patients had three AHVs, six patients had four AHVs, and one patient had five AHVs (P < 0.05 vs. DSA). The mean caliber of the AHVs was 8.3 ± 4.0 mm compared to 9.9 ± 3.2 for DSA (P < 0.001). Among the 301 AHVs, there were 140 with acute angles (46.5%), 71 with right angles (23.6%), and 90 with obtuse angles (29.8%). The prevalence of AHVs on DSA was 54.8% (125/228), while MRI demonstrated 301 AHVs in 165 patients, for a prevalence of 72.4% (165/228) compared to 54.8% for DSA (P = 0.001). The two methods were concordant in only 116/228 (50.9%) patients. The kappa coefficient demonstrated good intrareader consistency for all documented MRI findings of AHVs (κ = 0.626 for caliber and κ = 0.65 for angles). CONCLUSION: More AHVs were visible on MRI LAVA sequences than on conventional DSA. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2017;45:401-409.

Live/Real time three-dimensional transthoracic echocardiographic assessment of inferior vena cava and hepatic vein thrombosis in sickle cell disease.

We describe the value of live/real time three-dimensional transthoracic echocardiography (3DTTE) over two-dimensional transthoracic echocardiography (2DTTE) in the assessment of inferior vena cava (IVC) and hepatic vein (HV) obstruction in a patient with sickle cell disease. 3DTTE provided additional information when compared to 2DTTE by (1) identifying the obstructing lesion as a likely thrombus, (2) by providing assessment of anatomical severity of IVC lumen obstruction since the thrombus could be visualized en face also, and (3) identifying an area of increased mobility of a portion of the thrombus suggesting greater risk of embolization. (Echocardiography 2010;27:594-596).

Early sonographic assessment of Budd-Chiari syndrome after orthotopic liver transplantation.

Budd-Chiari syndrome is a rare vascular complication of liver transplantation that may result in loss of the graft and a high mortality risk. Therefore, early diagnosis is extremely important to allow preservation of the graft and improve the prognosis. We describe the sonographic findings in a patient in whom Budd-Chiari syndrome occurred 2 days after orthotopic liver transplantation.

[Assessment of hemodynamics in patients with Budd-Chiari syndrome after interventional treatment].

OBJECTIVE: To study the changes in morphology of liver and spleen and hemodynamics of the patients with Budd-Chiari syndrome (BCS) after interventional treatment. METHODS: The dimensions of liver and spleen were detected by routine ultrasonography in 30 normal control subjects and 256 BCS patients before and after inventional therapy. Color duplex sonography was employed to measure the hemodynamic changes. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, BCS patients before interventional therapy showed obvious liver and spleen enlargements (P<0.005), specially the caudate lobe of the liver (P<0.001), which were significantly reduced 7 days after interventional treatment (P<0.005), but the spleen was still larger than that of the control group (P<0.005) even till 6 months after the therapy. Color Doppler flow imaging (CDFI) revealed local high-speed blood flow in patients with stenosis of the inferior vena cave (IVC), but color flow was not detected in patients with IVC obstruction, who had hepatic vein dilation (P<0.005) with slowed blood flow and collateral formation of in the liver, as well as decreased velocity of blood flow in the portal vein. After interventional treatment, the diameter of the involved IVC increased with blood flow restoration and the size and shape of the stent were detected clearly. The velocity of blood flow was increased in both the hepatic and portal veins (P<0.005). CONCLUSION: Interventional therapy can relieve obstruction of blood flow in the liver and improve the hemodynamics of patients with BCS.