Ten years of experience with patients with chronic active liver disease variceal bleeding: ablative versus selective decompressive therapy.

BACKGROUND: Variceal hemorrhage is an added major threat to survival in patients with chronic active liver disease (CALD). The hemodynamic consequences of surgical therapy and the continued activity of the underlying liver disease both contribute to the hepatic dysfunction and determine patient survival. METHODS: Two hundred and seventy two consecutive cases of (Child A or B) variceal bleeding with chronic hepatitis were surgically treated during a 10-year period. Histologic chronic active hepatitis (CAH) was documented in 160 (59%) patients, whereas chronic persistent hepatitis (CPH) was evident in 112 (41%). The applied surgical procedure was distal splenorenal shunt (DSRS) in 99 (36%) patients, splenectomy and gastroesophageal devascularization (SGD) in 108 (40%), and splenectomy with left gastric ligation (SLGL) in 65 (24%) patients. The preoperative data base obtained on these patients was matched comparing the three surgical modalities within each pathologic group (p > 0.05). RESULTS: The operative mortality was low among the patients with CAH (DSRS, 5.1%; SGD, 4.2%) with no deaths occurring in the CPH group. Among the individuals with CAH, recurrent variceal hemorrhage occurred significantly (p < 0.05) more often after SLGL (26%) and SGD (17%) than after DSRS (5%). Sclerotherapy rescued 93% (SGD) and 70% (SLGL) of the patients with rebleeding. DSRS significantly (p < 0.05) increased the risk of encephalopathy (28%) compared with SGD (4.2%) and SLGL (8%). The morbidity rates were quite low among the patients with CPH with no significant (p > 0.05) differences noted when the three surgical modalities were compared. Both groups experienced a significant (p < 0.05) increase in aspartate aminotransferase levels after the three procedures with a significant (p < 0.05) increase in bilirubin level occurring only after DSRS. The 5-year survival rate for the patients with variceal bleeding with CAH was 76% (DSRS), 73% (SGD), and 88% (SLGL). The leading causes of death were liver failure after DSRS (70%), variceal hemorrhage after SLGL (60%), and equally divided between septicemia (43%) and liver failure (43%) after SGD. The patients with CPH had a better 5-year survival of 89% (DSRS) and 100% (nonshunt operation). CONCLUSIONS: These data showed that (1) CALD is common among cases of variceal bleeding; (2) elective surgical treatment of variceal hemorrhage in patients with Child A or B CALD has a low operative mortality; (3) SLGL backed up by sclerotherapy is a better surgical alternative to either selective shunt or SGD in patients with active hepatitis, and (4) both DSRS and nonshunt operation are equally good surgical options for patients with CPH.

Schistosomal versus nonschistosomal variceal bleeders. Do they respond differently to selective shunt (DSRS)?

The distal splenorenal shunt (DSRS) was performed in 125 consecutive variceal bleeders. To date, no patients have been lost to follow-up (mean of 79 +/- 20 months). Liver pathology was documented in 85 patients: 45 patients had schistosomal hepatic fibrosis, 17 had nonalcoholic cirrhosis, and 23 had mixed pattern (hepatic fibrosis and cirrhosis). The preoperative data base for these three groups was matched (p greater than 0.05), with a mean follow-up of 79 +/- 20, 70 +/- 14, and 77 +/- 22 months for each population, respectively. The results showed low operative mortality (4.8%), high cumulative patency rate (94.8%) and low recurrent variceal hemorrhage (5.6%). The biochemical data showed significant increase in serum bilirubin (p less than 0.001) and aspartate transaminase (AST) (p less than 0.05) in the nonschistosomal patients. Chronic hyperbilirubinemia was found in 33% of the schistosomal group. Prograde portal perfusion was detected in 94% of the patients, with development of collaterals in 91%. The angiographic pattern of these collaterals was 50% pancreatic, 45% gastric, and 26% colosplenic. Patients with mixed liver disease had a high incidence of Grade III portal perfusion (57%) and more common pancreatic and gastric collaterals (71%). The cumulative survival for all patients was 74.1%, with hepatic cell failure being the leading cause of death (13 patients, 50% of all deaths). The schistosomal patients had a 91.6% incidence, whereas the cirrhotic and mixed groups had survival rates of 75.6% and 65.2%, respectively. Also, of a 15% total incidence of encephalopathy, 4.4% was related to the schistosomal patients, 23.5% to the cirrhotics, and 21.7% to the mixed population. Statistically, the survival rate was significantly better (p less than 0.05) and encephalopathy was significantly lower (p less than 0.05) in the schistosomal population. In conclusion, this data shows that: 1) DSRS has a high patency rate and a low variceal hemorrhage recurrence rate; 2) it maintains some degree of portal perfusion in patients with different nonalcoholic liver diseases, despite development of collaterals; and 3) the schistosomal patients have a better survival rate, with a low incidence of encephalopathy after DSRS, compared with the cirrhotic and mixed populations.

Distal splenorenal shunt for management of variceal bleeding in patients with schistosomal hepatic fibrosis.

The distal splenorenal shunt was performed in 60 patients with schistosomal hepatic fibrosis in whom no evidence of cirrhosis was documented by preoperative needle and operative wedge biopsy. No patients have been lost to follow-up with a median of 37 months (range: 17-86). The results showed low operative mortality (1.7%), high patency rate (92.5%), and low recurrent variceal hemorrhage (6.7%). Thrombosed shunts were treated either by refashioning the shunt (1 patient) or splenectomy and gastric devascularization (2 patients). Initial hyperbilirubinemia and reduction in serum albumin were found in the early postoperative period, with persistent hyperbilirubinemia in 32% of the patients. The 5-year survival was 88%, with liver disease related mortality in only three patients. Clinical encephalopathy was detected in three patients (5.1%); only one of them was incapacitated. These data showed that: selective shunt (distal splenorenal shunt, DSRS) is an effective surgical procedure in the treatment of schistosomal variceal bleeding, shunt thrombosis is rare and can possible be corrected if detected early, schistosomal patients have a better survival and a lower incidence of encephalopathy after DSRS than that reported in cirrhotics, and liver biopsy should be performed for proper assessment of the schistosomal population especially in the geographic areas where the schistosoma parasite and viral hepatitis are endemic.