Cost-effective usage of membrane oxygenators in extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in infants.

Although the poly-methylpentene (PMP) oxygenators have significant advantages in ECMO implementation, their usage may be limited in some situations, which may be related to economic constraints. In this report, we aimed to emphasize our cost-effective usage of a membrane oxygenator at the ECMO setup. We implemented ECMO with eight Capiox® FX05 or Baby RX05 hollow-fiber membrane oxygenators in five neonatal patients. The average ECMO duration was 121 hours (ranging from 41 to 272 hours). Following the termination of the ECMO, the system was broken down into its components for macroscopic analysis. Neither gross blood clots nor plasma leakage were observed in any of the components. The integration of a centrifugal pump and a separate hollow-fiber oxygenator may provide a cost-effective ECMO implementation setup with no adverse effects which may be an encouraging alternative for the low cost usage of ECMO in neonates.

Asymmetric intracorneal ring segments in the treatment of snowman phenotype keratoconus.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate refractive, aberrometric, topographic, and topometric outcomes of asymmetric intracorneal ring segment (ICRS) implantation in snowman phenotype (asymmetric bow-tie) keratoconus. METHODS: This retrospective, interventional study included eyes with snowman phenotype keratoconus. Two asymmetric ICRSs (Keraring AS) were implanted after femtosecond laser-assisted tunnel formation. Visual, refractive, aberrometric, topographic, and topometric changes after asymmetric ICRS implantation were evaluated with a mean follow-up of 11 months (6-24 months). MAIN RESULTS: Seventy-one eyes were analyzed in the study. Keraring AS implantation corrected refractive errors significantly. The mean spherical error decreased from -5.06±4.23 D to -1.62±3.45 D (P=0.001), and the mean cylindrical error decreased from -5.43±2.48 D to -2.44±1.49 D (P=0.001). Uncorrected distance visual acuity improved from 0.98±0.80 to 0.46±0.46 Log MAR (P=0.001), and corrected distance visual acuity improved from 0.58±0.56 to 0.17±0.39 Log MAR (P=0.001). Keratometry (K) maximum, K1, K2, K mean, astigmatism, and corneal asphericity (Q-value) showed a significant decrease (P=0.001). Vertical coma aberration decreased significantly from -3.31±2.12µm to -2.56±1.94µm (P=0.001). All topometric indices of corneal irregularities were significantly reduced postoperatively (P=0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Keraring AS implantation in snowman phenotype keratoconus demonstrated good efficacy and safety. Clinical, topographic, topometric, and aberrometric parameters improved significantly after Keraring AS implantation.

Changes of ocular biometry in eyes with posterior chamber phakic intraocular lens implantation.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate changes in biometric variables and intraocular lens (IOL) calculation results after posterior chamber phakic IOL (PCPIOL) implantation. METHODS: This retrospective, observational study included 65 eyes of 38 patients who underwent PCPIOL (EVO Visian ICL) implantation for correction of myopia. Prior to and a minimum of one year (mean 14.9 months) after EVO Visian ICL implantation, biometric variables and IOL calculation results were compared. Optical biometry, including anterior chamber depth, axial length, flat, steep, and mean keratometry values and IOL calculation results for the Holladay 2, Hoffer Q, Haigis, and SRK/T formulas were measured using the IOLMaster 700 SWEPT Source OCT biometer. MAIN RESULTS: The mean anterior chamber depth decreased from 3.70±0.22mm to 3.34±0.39mm, the mean axial length increased from 26.61±1.61mm to 26.71±1.66mm, and the mean flat keratometry changed from 42.82±1.86 D to 42.73±1.83 D. These changes were statistically significant. The mean IOL power calculation also revealed a statistically significant decrease with all four formulas (ranging from 0.19 D to 0.30 D) after PCPIOL implantation. CONCLUSIONS: Biometric variables and IOL calculation results showed statistically significant changes one year after EVO Visian ICL implantations. However, IOL power calculations yielded a decrease of less than 0.50 D, inducing much less refractive deviation in the spectacle plane; and the change was primarily related to an increase in AL measurements. IOL power calculations in eyes with EVO Visian ICL in situ provided satisfactory and reliable results.

Can IL-2R alpha be a valuable marker along with CA 19-9 in the diagnosis of chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer?

BACKGROUND: Pancreatic cancer is characterized initially by non-specific abdominal symptoms followed by rapid tumor progression. Although chronic pancreatitis is a benign disorder, it can be one of the causative factors of pancreatic cancer. The level of the tumor marker carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA 19-9) in pancreatic cancer does not correlate with the stage of the neoplasm. Soluble interleukin 2 receptor (sIL-2R) is a cytokine that shows increased levels during some inflammatory processes and malignant disorders. AIM: Our aim in this study was to investigate whether sIL-2Ralpha levels can be used in association with CA 19-9 in the early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer and chronic pancreatitis. PATIENTS: Serum samples were obtained from the blood of 21 pancreatic cancer patients without distant metastasis who were deemed inoperable, 16 chronic pancreatitis patients and 20 normal volunteers. RESULTS: We did not find any significant differences in CA 19-9 levels between normal controls and patients with chronic pancreatitis. There was a significant difference in the levels between the control group and the pancreatic cancer group (p = 0.003) and between patients with chronic pancreatitis and those with pancreatic cancer (p = 0.004). Although there was no significant difference in sIL-2Ralpha levels between the control group and the patient groups, we found a slight correlation between sIL-2Ralpha and CA 19-9 levels in the pancreatic cancer group (p = 0.003, r = 0.623) and a more marked correlation in the chronic pancreatitis group (p < 0.01, r = 0.751). CONCLUSION: According to our results, sIL-2Ralpha alone is not a good candidate marker in the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer; it can, however, be used in association with CA 19-9 for this purpose.

A prospective randomized trial from Turkey comparing octreotide versus injection sclerotherapy in acute variceal bleeding.

BACKGROUNDS/AIMS: Bleeding from gastroesophageal varices continues to be a life threatening complication of chronic liver diseases and portal hypertension. The purpose of this randomized prospective study is to compare the efficacy of octreotide administration and emergency injection sclerotherapy for the control of actively bleeding esophageal varices and prevention of early rebleeding in patients with cirrhosis. METHODOLOGY: A total of 66 episodes of endoscopically proven active variceal bleeding in 52 patients were included in this study. Following admission to the hospital, the patients were resuscitated with blood and plasma, and fiberoptic endoscopy was performed within 2 hours. Thirty-six bleeds in 28 patients and 30 bleeds in 24 patients were randomized to endoscopic variceal sclerotherapy (1% polidocanol) and to octreotide infusion (at 50 micrograms/h for 12 hours following the initial 50 micrograms i.v. bolus), respectively. RESULTS: Bleeding was initially controlled within 6 hours in 75% of episodes by endoscopic variceal sclerotherapy and in 73.3 by octreotide infusion (P > 0.05). There were no significant differences between the 2 groups in early rebleeding (within 72 hours of randomization) (22% vs. 22.7%), blood transfusion (4.2 +/- 1.8 units vs. 4.8 +/- 2.9 units), or hospital mortality (3.6% vs. 3.3%). Treatment failed in 9 episodes (25%) in the sclerotherapy group and in 8 episodes (26.7%) in the octreotide group. CONCLUSIONS: We consider that Octreotide would appear to be as effective as sclerotherapy in both the early control of variceal hemorrhage and in the prevention of early recurrent bleeding and should therefore be considered the treatment of choice in those centers where 24-hour endoscopy is not available. Furthermore, even in hospitals that do have a 24-hour endoscopy service there is good evidence that octreotide therapy should be commenced as soon as a patient enters hospital with a suspected variceal bleed to achieve rapid homeostasis. When initial hemostasis is achieved, elective endoscopic therapies can be undertaken with greater success.

Determination of hepatic zinc content in chronic liver disease due to hepatitis B virus.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Zinc is an essential, mostly intracellular, trace element which participates in many physiologic mechanisms. Some liver functions like urea formation require the presence of zinc; thus the determination of hepatic zinc content may contribute to the understanding of probable zinc-related clinical consequences of chronic liver disease. In this study, we aimed to determine the hepatic zinc concentrations in patients with chronic liver disease due to the Hepatitis B virus and to ascertain the relationship between the severity of liver disease and hepatic zinc content, if one in fact exists. METHODOLOGY: A total of 99 HBsAg positive subjects were included in the study. We performed a liver biopsy on all subjects. Hepatic zinc concentrations were determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. RESULTS: The liver biopsies were normal in 25 subjects. There were 33 chronic active hepatitis (CAH), 34 cirrhosis and 7 chronic persistent hepatitis (CPH) patients in the study group. In the control group, CAH, cirrhosis and CPH groups, the mean liver zinc concentrations were 3.83 +/- 1.86, 1.86 +/- 0.92, 1.14 +/- 0.68 and 3.74 +/- 1.81 mumol/g dry weight, respectively. Hepatic zinc in the CAH and cirrhosis groups were lower than that of the control group (p < 0.05). We also found that liver zinc in the cirrhosis group was lower than in the CAH group (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: According to these results, as the severity of liver damage increases, the hepatic zinc concentration decreases. Therefore, it can be suggested that zinc supplementation may improve hepatic encephalopathy by increasing the efficiency of the urea cycle.

What is the association of primary sclerosing cholangitis with sex and inflammatory bowel disease in Turkish patients?

BACKGROUND/AIMS: In the Western world, primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a chronic cholestatic liver disease that is associated with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), particularly chronic ulcerative colitis and, to a lesser degree, Crohn's disease. The goal of this study was to determine the prevalence of PSC in Turkish patients with IBD and chronic amebic colitis, a disease that is endemic in Turkey. METHODOLOGY: During a 10-year period, between 1986 and 1996, a total of 81 IBD (64 ulcerative colitis and 17 Crohn's disease) patients and 127 patients with chronic amebic colitis were seen and evaluated with radiologic, serologic, immunologic and pathologic tests. Whenever a clinical or biochemical finding suggested the presence of co-existent hepatic and/or biliary disease, the patient was further evaluated by liver biopsy, auto-antibodies and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) to determine whether they also had PSC or some other form of liver disease. As a disease control group, a total of 752 patients with clinical and/or laboratory evidence of pancreaticobiliary disease were also studied. In 86 of these 752 patients (10%), a primary disorder of the biliary tree was diagnosed by ultrasonography, computed tomography, peritoneoscopy, liver biopsy, ERCP and abdominal laparotomy. In addition, all 86 patients of the control group were evaluated endoscopically in order to determine whether they had any associated gastrointestinal condition of the upper or lower gastrointestinal tracts. After establishing final diagnoses of IBD, amebic colitis and PSC, these patients were evaluated with respect to their socio-economic status. A high protein diet (1.8 gram/kg/day) was administered to those patients with chronic amebic colitis and IBD during the active period of the disease. RESULTS: Of the 208 patients (81 with IBD and 127 with chronic amebic colitis), no cases of PSC were identified. Of the 86 patients in the control group with primary biliary tract disease, 45 had a biliary system malignancy, 14 had primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC), 16 had PSC, 3 had Caroli's disease, 6 had a common bile duct cyst, and 2 had gallbladder adenomatosis. All but 1 of the 16 patients with PSC were female. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that, in contrast to findings in Western Europe and the USA, in Turkey: 1) PSC is not regularly associated with idiopathic IBD; 2) most patients with PSC are female; 3) PSC accounts for only 18% of patients with a primary disorder of the biliary tree; 4) the incidence of small-duct primary sclerosing cholangitis is greater than that reported in the literature; and, 5) the incidence of IBD and PSC in Turkey is relatively lower than in other countries.

Percutaneous drainage of hepatic abscesses: therapy does not differ for those with identifiable biliary fistula.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Surgical drainage of pyogenic and amoebic hepatic abscesses has been an accepted therapy for decades. Modern imaging modalities have changed both the diagnostic and therapeutic management of many hepatic lesions, particularly abscesses. Specifically, percutaneous aspiration and drainage with either ultrasound or computed tomography guidance has been reported as an alternative treatment for hepatic abscesses in recent years. Little is known about aspiration of hepatic abscesses that communicate with the biliary tree. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Fifteen patients with hepatic abscesses treated by percutaneous aspiration and drainage are herein reported. Six had a demonstrable fistulous communication between the abscess and the biliary tree. RESULTS: During a four year period of follow-up, only two of these 15 patients experienced a recurrence. Neither had a biliary fistula complicating their abscess initially. CONCLUSIONS: Based upon this experience, it is suggested that percutaneous aspiration and drainage should be the initial treatment of choice of both pyogenic and amoebic liver abscesses even when large. Abscesses with demonstratable biliary fistulas have a larger mean volume than do those without fistulous involvement. The finding of a communication between the abscess and the biliary tree should not change this treatment approach.

A comparison of chemoembolization with conventional chemotherapy and symptomatic treatment in cirrhotic patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The results of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) in 28 cirrhotic patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) were compared to those obtained in 15 cirrhotic patients with HCC treated with systemic chemotherapy, and 14 patients with HCC receiving no specific anti-cancer treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From November, 1986 through May 1994, 235 patients with HCC were seen by the investigators. Twenty eight of these patients actually received TACE. The chemotherapeutic agent used was mitomycin C mixed with Lipiodol and arterial embolization was achieved using Gelfoam. In 19 of 28 cases treated with TACE, the embolization was limited to an artery feeding the tumor, thereby avoiding liver cell injury in non-tumor tissue. In 9 others, the main left or right hepatic artery was embolized. The results obtained in these 28 cases were compared to those obtained in 15 patients with HCC larger than 5 cm. who received systemic mitomycin C and doxorubicin chemotherapy and with those obtained in 14 patients who received no specific anti-tumor therapy. RESULTS: One patient died of liver failure related to the TACE and three patients died of bleeding from esophageal varices within weeks of the TACE procedure. Two of the remaining 24 patients are alive with a follow-up of 6 and 22 months. Twenty-six of the 28 patients treated with TACE died within 1 and 28 months of the initiation of the TACE therapy. The mean survival of those receiving TACE was 13.0 months. Chemotherapy without embolization yielded a mean survival of 7.2 months. The mean survival of the patients receiving no specific anti-cancer treatment was only 6.9 months. There was no statistical differences between the survival of those receiving systemic chemotherapy and those receiving no specific treatment. In contrast, the mean survival of the group receiving TACE was significantly greater than that of either of the other two groups (p < 0.005). CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that TACE provides the best survival for individuals with larger hepatocellular carcinomas (> 5 cm) not eligible for surgery or percutaneous ethanol injection (PEI).

Periampullary carcinoma detected after sphincterotomy.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Although periampullary carcinoma can often be diagnosed at an early stage because of its strategic location, in a substantial number of cases (23% to 25% of periampullary carcinoma cases), the papilla can be prominent, but without an identifiable mass or ulceration. As a result, duodenoscopy alone can miss the tumor. In this series, the usefulness of sphincterotomy in establishing a diagnosis of periampullary carcinoma is documented. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 664 patients, who had clinical, biochemical and/or sonographic evidence of pancreaticobiliary disorders underwent endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreaticography (ERCP) at Hacettepe University Hospital between March 1985 and September 1994. All identified lesions were biopsied. RESULTS: In sixty-six of the 664 patients, a specific periampullary or pancreatic diagnosis could be made. These included 30 cases of pancreatic carcinoma (14 in the head, 15 in the corpus, and 1 in the tail), 10 cases of chronic pancreatitis, 15 cases of periampullary carcinoma and 11 miscellaneous. None of the 15 periampullary carcinomas was demonstrable by abdominal computed tomography, sonography or pancreatic angiography. In 12, the diagnosis was established immediately by endoscopic visualization of the tumor and biopsy. In the remaining 3, the tumor was visualized as a protruding mass only after a papillatomy was performed. All cases were treated surgically with a pylorus preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy. No symptoms of dumping were experienced postoperatively. The survival of these 15 patients was good with a mean survival of 24.2 months. CONCLUSIONS: Careful endoscopic examination of the periampullary mucosa before and after sphincterotomy is required to identify periampullary carcinoma. A pylorus preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy revealed excellent post-surgical outcome with no post operative symptoms of the dumping syndrome.

Congenital hepatic fibrosis associated with cavernous transformation of the portal vein.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Congenital hepatic fibrosis (CHF), which is one of the fibropolycystic diseases, occurs in various forms. Portal hypertension, a very common clinical feature of this condition, has been attributed to the compression of portal vein radicles in the fibrous bands. We investigated whether there are any other contributing factors in the development of portal hypertension in patients with CHF. METHODOLOGY: A total of 1285 patients with portal hypertension of different etiologies were studied using ultrasonography as the screening test. Forty-seven (including portal vein involvement and/or CHF) of these 1285 patients were prospectively studied to evaluate the etiology of the portal hypertension by portography, abdominal computed tomography, exploratory laparotomy, peritonoscopy, liver biopsy and laboratory tests. The patients with CHF were divided into two groups, according to whether or not they had portal vein involvement. RESULTS: Eleven (0.8%) of the 1285 patients with portal hypertension had CHF, and 41 (3.2%) had cavernous transformation of the portal vein (CTPV), resulting from different or unknown etiologies. Five patients had both pathologies (CTPV and CHF). In the 11 patients with CHF, there was CTPV in 5 patients, Caroli's disease in 2 patients, cholangiocarcinoma in 1 patient, inferior vena caval obstruction in 1 patient, and CHF in only 2 patients. There were statistically significant differences in the age of the CHF patients at clinical onset, the incidence of bleeding from esophageal varices, and laboratory findings between the 2 groups with and without CTPV. Despite a thorough investigation, we could not distinguish any predisposing factor in 25 of the 41 patients with CTPV. The incidence of CTPV was 48% in patients with CHF and 3.2% in patients with portal hypertension. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the association of CTPV with CHF is not coincidental, but that CTPV may be associated with CHF and a new possible factor in portal hypertension, and that it can be a major factor in the manifestation of esophageal bleeding from varices.

Four cases with chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction due to hollow visceral myopathy.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction is a rare clinical syndrome characterized by symptoms and signs of intestinal obstruction without any organic lesion obstructing the intestine. Visceral myopathy is one of the etiological causes and full thickness intestinal biopsy is essential for reaching a diagnosis. In this article we describe 4 cases of hollow visceral myopathy; our aim is to stress the importance of full thickness biopsy. METHODOLOGY: Four cases of hollow visceral myopathy are studied herein. All the patients had recurrent abdominal pain and constipation. The onset of symptoms was early in life or in the second to third decade. A diagnosis was established in all cases by full thickness intestinal biopsy obtained during laparotomy. Associated disorders were noted in 2 cases. One patient had Axenfelt syndrome, non-descended testicles and primary hypogonadism, and another had a diagnosis of Kleinfelter syndrome. RESULTS: All of the 4 cases were diagnosed to be suffering from hollow visceral myopathy by full thickness intestinal biopsy and 2 had additional disorders as well. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction should be carefully evaluated as to whether there is an associated disorder and the diagnosis may be delayed unless full thickness intestinal biopsy is obtained.

Extraordinarily elevated CA19-9 in benign conditions: a case report and review of the literature.

Carbohydrate antigen CA19-9 is commonly used in the diagnosis of pancreatic and biliary malignancies. However, increases in its level in benign conditions such as acute cholangitis or pancreatitis have also been reported. A 79-year-old woman presented with cholangitis and a pancreatic pseudocyst while showing elevation of CA19-9 up to 35,500 U/mL. The patient was adequately treated and at two months' follow-up the CA19-9 level had returned to normal.

Budd-Chiari syndrome: analysis of 30 cases.

The authors report their experience with 30 adult patients with Budd-Chiari syndrome (BCS), which is a rare and serious disorder, characterized by hepatic outflow obstruction caused by many different conditions. The diagnosis was based on the clinical data, ultrasonography (US), vena cavography and hepatic venography, computed tomography (CT), and liver biopsy. Behçet's disease (BD) was found in 10 patients with BCS as an underlying disease. Two patients used oral contraceptive drugs, 2 had liver tumor hepatocellular carcinoma and liver lymphoma, and 1 patient had chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Despite full investigation, the authors could not find any obvious underlying cause in the other 15 patients. The results suggest that (1) BCS must be considered as a possible complication in patients with Behçet's disease when they have hepatomegaly even if there were no cardinal manifestations of the disease at the time of admission, and BD is the most common etiologic factor in BCS (33%) in Turkey, where the incidence of Behçet's disease is relatively high. (2) Anti-aggregant treatment seems to be effective in many instances. (3) There were space-occupying lesion-like appearances in the liver of 7 cases by CT and US examination in the acute stage, and these disappeared on the follow-up CT and US in 5 patients but continued in 2. BCS should thus be differentiated from other liver lesions. (4) There were other great-vessel involvements in 43% of the cases, mostly venous, but only 1 pulmonary arterial occlusion.

Complications of pediatric cardiac catheterization: 18-month study.

Pediatric cardiac catheterization may be indicated under certain conditions, but is associated with some risk. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the complications associated with diagnostic and interventional catheterization procedures done over an 18-month period in our laboratory. Of the 230 cardiac catheterizations, 204 were solely diagnostic in nature. Eleven percent were interventional catheterizations including aortic and pulmonary valvuloplasties and balloon atrial septostomy. Six percent of the patients constituted grown-up congenital heart disease (GUCH). The median age was 34 months excluding the GUCH group. There was one death below one year of age (0.4% mortality) occurring six hours after the diagnostic catheterization; it was attributed to the underlying disease. There were eight complications (3.4%) that we would consider serious, including atrial flutter, ventricular tachycardia, severe hypercyanotic spell, seizure, transient complete heart block, peripheral vascular injury which resulted in pseudoaneurysm formation of the femoral artery requiring surgical intervention, and transient pulse loss. When catheterization is necessary, it should be carried out as efficiently as possible with awareness of conditions that probably increase the risk of a clinically important event. Although patients undergoing cardiac catheterization are now younger and have more complex cardiac abnormalities, the procedure seems to have become safer when compared to previous literature.

Noninvasive diagnosis and surgical management in total anomalous pulmonary venous return draining into the coronary sinus: report of 2 cases.

Total anomalous pulmonary venous return results from nondevelopment of the common pulmonary vein, with consequent enlargement of embryonic collaterals between the lungs and the systemic veins. In this report, two patients with this anomaly draining into the coronary sinus who presented in infancy are described. One of the patients was referred because of growth and development failure and chronic constipation, while the other had tachypnea as the presenting problem. Both were diagnosed during the echocardiographic examination. Typical echocardiographic findings were a small left atrium, a sausage-shaped dilated coronary sinus receiving the pulmonary veins in the subcostal short axis, and flying seagull configuration in the subcostal long axis views. Both had a large interatrial communication. The patients underwent corrective surgery. The aim of the presentation is to emphasize the role of segmental echocardiography in the differential diagnosis.

Noncompaction of the right ventricle following Senning repair.

A three-year-old boy presented with generalized edema, respiratory distress, prominent right ventricular impulse and hepatosplenomegaly. He had undergone Senning repair at one year of age. On his echocardiography, there were numerous prominent trabeculations and deep intertrabecular recesses measuring approximately 5 mm in depth along the free wall and right ventricular apex. Echogenicity of the endocardial surface was increased suggesting a fibrotic process in progress. Intertrabecular recesses were observed to be filling from the ventricle by color Doppler which is consistent with noncompaction. Various semilunar valve obstructions were shown to be responsible for the persistence of deep endomyocardial spaces surrounded by exeggerated hypertrophy of the trabeculae. This report presents the echocardiographic findings of right ventricular cardiomyopathy associated with dextroposition of the great arteries following Senning operation resembling noncompaction. Thus, this rare entity needs to be clarified regarding morphological criteria in distinction from other cardiomyopathies.

[Prevalence of HBV surface antigens, anti-HBD and anti-HCV antibodies in patients with virus-related chronic liver disease]. / Virusa bagli kronik karaciger hastaliklarinda HBV yüzey antijeni, anti-HDV ve anti-HCV antikor sikligi.

In the present study, we investigated Hepatitis B virus (HBV), Hepatitis C virus (HCV), and Hepatitis D virus (HDV) status in patients with chronic liver diseases seen in the period of 1990-1992 using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits. There were 126 male and 64 female patients with a mean age of 42.3 years (range 17-70). Of the 198 patients, 68 (35.7%) had evidence of HCV infection. One hundred and twenty-three patients (64.7%) were positive for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg). Of the 123 HBsA positive patients, 35 (28.4%) were positive for Anti-HDV. Fourteen patients were negative for markers of both HCV and HBV. Liver histology showed persistent hepatitis in 31 patients (16.3%), chronic active hepatitis in 77 (40.6%). Cirrhosis was diagnosed in 82 patients (43.1%). Our results indicate that HCV infection plays a role in chronic liver disease especially where the etiology appears obscure.