Liver transplantation for iatrogenic bile duct injury: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Bile duct injury (BDI) is an infrequent but serious complication of cholecystectomy, often with life-changing consequences. Liver transplantation (LT) may be required following severe BDI, however given the rarity, few large studies exist to guide management for complex BDI. METHODS: A systematic review was performed to assess post-operative complications, 30-day mortality, retransplant rate and 1-year and 5-year survival following LT for BDI in Medline, EMBASE, Web of Science or Cochrane Clinical Trials Database. RESULTS: Seven articles met inclusion criteria, describing 179 patients that underwent LT for BDI. Secondary biliary cirrhosis (SBC) was the main indication for LT (82.2% of patients). Median model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) scores at time of LT ranged from 16 to 20.5. Median 30-day mortality was 20.0%. The 1-year and 5-year survival ranges were 55.0-84.3% and 30.0-83.3% respectively, and the overall retransplant rate was 11.5%. CONCLUSION: BDI is rarely indicated for LT, predominantly for SBC following multiple prior interventions. MELD scores poorly reflect underlying morbidity, and exception criteria for waitlisting may avoid prolonged LT waiting times. 30-day mortality was higher than for non-BDI indications, with comparable long term survival, suggesting that LT remains a viable but high risk salvage option for severe BDI.

Inguinal Hernias in Cirrhotic Patients: From Diagnosis to Treatment.

Cirrhosis has a strong association with abdominal wall hernias, especially in the presence of concomitant ascites. Major predisposing factors for hernia formation in this particular group of patients include increased intra-abdominal pressure and decreased muscle mass due to poor nutrition. Management of these patients is highly challenging and requires an experienced multidisciplinary surgical and medical approach. The aim of our review is to clarify crucial diagnostic and management approaches. Crucial medical and technical issues on this topic are widely discussed with special focus on indication, timing, and type of surgical repair, with an additional reference to the actual role of laparoscopy.

Diagnosis, surgical treatment and postoperative outcomes of hepatic endometriosis: A systematic review.

Endometriosis is characterized by the presence of endometrial-like tissue and stroma in extra-uterine locations. Hepatic endometriosis (HE) is one of the rarest forms of extrapelvic endometriosis. We aimed to summarize the existing evidence on HE with special consideration to natural history, diagnosis and surgical treatment. Three electronic databases were systematically searched for articles published up to March 2019. All appropriate observational studies and case reports addressing cases of women with HE were considered eligible for inclusion. A total of 27 studies which comprised 32 patients with HE were included. Mean age of patients was 39.7 years. Ten (62.5%) were nulliparous and 24 (75%) were women of reproductive age. Eleven patients (36.7%) had a history of pelvic endometriosis of various sites. Abdominal pain was the primary symptom in 28 patients (87.5%). Preoperative diagnosis of endometriosis was available for 5 patients and 6 underwent a preoperative diagnostic procedure. Cyst resection, minor and major liver resections were performed in 14/31, 9/31 and 8/31 patients, respectively. Preoperative diagnosis of HE is challenging due to variable radiologic features and clinical symptomatology. Nonetheless, it should be considered in the differential diagnosis of a liver mass especially in premenopausal women with a history of endometriosis. The type of resection of the endometriotic lesion is based on the extent and the location of the disease and presented with favourable outcomes concerning morbidity, symptom relief and recurrence.

Donor Leucocytosis Predicts Bacterial and Fungal Contamination of the Preservation Solution in Visceral Organ Transplantation.

INTRODUCTION: Contamination of the preservation solution may contribute to septic complications that can occur after transplantation and cause higher morbidity and mortality among recipients. The aim of this study was to determine potential donor-related predictors of positive microbiological findings in the preservation solution. DESIGN: We retrospectively studied 16 donor parameters on data from our center for microbiological findings in the preservation solution used in solid-organ recovery. From January 2008 through December 2011, 976 solid organs were transplanted, and in 167, the solution was positive for contaminants. RESULTS: The most frequently detected contaminant was coagulase-negative staphylococci. Only the donor leucocyte count (cutoff at 9.1 × 109/L) predicted positive microbiological findings in the preservation solution ( P = .0024). Multivariable regression analysis found that donor age, donor sex, intensive care unit stay, total number of organs recovered, and leucocyte count differentiated various categories of potentially pathogenic bacteria. CONCLUSION: Donor leucocyte count higher than 9.1 × 109/L predicts contamination of preservation solution.

Hepatic artery and biliary complications in liver transplant recipients with radioembolization bridging treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Locoregional bridging treatments are commonly applied in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) prior to liver transplantation to prevent tumor progression during waiting time. It remains unknown whether pre-transplant radioembolization treatment may increase the prevalence of hepatic artery and biliary complications post-transplant. METHODS: We performed a retrospective review of 173 consecutive patients with HCC who underwent liver transplantation at our transplant center between January 2007 and December 2016. RESULTS: Radioembolization bridging treatment was applied in 42 patients while 131 patients received other or no forms of bridging treatment. The overall prevalence of intra-operative and early post-operative hepatic artery complications was 9.5% in the radioembolization group and 9.2% in the control group (P = 1.000). Biliary complications were significantly less frequent in the radioembolization group (4.8% vs 17.6%, P = .0442). In multivariable analysis, radioembolization was not significantly associated with an increased risk of arterial complications. Considering biliary complications, radioembolization bridging treatment was the only factor significantly associated with decreased odds (OR 0.187 (0.039, 0.892), P = .036). CONCLUSIONS: Radioembolization is not associated with higher odds of hepatic artery complications following liver transplantation. There may even be a protective effect regarding biliary complications. Radioembolization as a bridge to transplantation may effectively be applied without compromising successful liver transplantation.

Meta-analysis of laparoscopic vs open liver resection for hepatocellular carcinoma: The European experience.

PURPOSE: The aim of this meta-analysis of studies conducted in Europe was to evaluate the effect of laparoscopic liver resection (LLR) on short- and long-term outcomes compared to open liver resection (OLR) in patients operated for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS: An electronic literature search was conducted in order to identify studies comparing LLR and OLR. Short-term outcomes evaluated included operative time, blood loss, need for transfusion, R0 resection, resection margin width, length of hospital stay, morbidity and 30-day postoperative mortality. Long-term outcomes included 1-year, 3-year, 5-year overall (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) as well as tumor recurrence rate. RevMan 5.1 software was utilized for statistical meta-analysis. RESULTS: A total of 851 patients from 10 European studies were included in the present meta-analysis reporting for short- and long-term results for LLR and ORL for HCC. Among them 321 (37.7%) underwent laparoscopic hepatectomy and the remaining 530 (62.3%) were operated through open approach. LLR were found to be strongly associated with lower blood loss as well as need for blood transfusion, shorter hospital stay, lower 30-day mortality and morbidity and finally improved 1-year OS and 5-year DFS. Operative time, R0 resection, resection margin width, tumor size, 3- and 5-year OS as well as 1- and 3-year DFS were not found significantly different among the two groups. CONCLUSION: The present meta-analysis demonstrates the superiority of laparoscopic over open approach for same sized tumors. Cirrhotic patients benefit from laparoscopy in terms of shorter hospital stay, complication rate and long-term oncologic outcomes.

Safety and efficacy of liver resections in elderly patients.

PURPOSE: Elderly patients constitute a special group of surgical candidates due to the frequent coexistence of major comorbidities. We report our experience in performing liver resections in patients aged 75 years or older. METHODS: During a period of 62 months, 154 patients underwent liver resections, out of which 20 were 75 years old or older. Our prospectively maintained database was reviewed regarding patient and tumor characteristics, intraoperative and postoperative data. RESULTS: Out of the 20 patients aged 75 years or older, 15 were men and 5 women, with a mean age of 79.3 years. Sixteen patients (80%) had at least one major comorbidity. Indications for surgery was hepatocellular carcinoma (n=5), intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (n=7), liver metastases (n=5), liver abscess (n=2) and liver cyst with hemorrhage (n=1). Liver resections included 3 left hepatectomies, 1 left lateral hepatectomy combined with segmentectomy and wedge resection, 2 right hepatectomies, 1 central hepatectomy, 4 bisegmentectomies, 3 segmentectomies, 4 wedge resections and 2 unroofings of giant liver cysts. In 10 out of the 20 operations, patients underwent further procedures apart from the liver resection. Six patients were postoperatively admitted to intensive care unit for 1 or 2 days. Postoperative bile leak was documented in 2 patients and postoperative hemorrhage in 1 patient, for which no reoperation was needed. No postoperative death was recorded during the hospitalization of the patients. The mean length of hospital stay was 12.9 days. CONCLUSIONS: Liver resections, even major ones, can be tolerated by elderly patients with good postoperative outcomes under the presupposition of careful patient selection.

Meta-meta-analysis: A paradigm in the case of surgical publications.

PURPOSE: Meta-analyses are considered to provide level I-II evidence. Based on this premise, several statements have been developed to standardize guidelines and optimize results. The purpose of this study was to investigate the quality of the information delivered by meta-analyses. METHODS: Meta-analyses published in Annals of Surgery during an 11-year period were reviewed whereas individual publications of each meta-analysis were assessed. An Excel database encompassing 29 parameters was constructed based on the Quality of Reporting of Meta-analyses (QUOROM) statement. RESULTS: The present study included 31 consecutive meta- analyses. The number of meta-analyses conforming with each of the parameters considered was as follows: information obtained from more than 2 databases 23/31; language of publication exclusively English 25/31; defined population, intervention, and principal outcomes 31/31; study design encompassing review of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) 10/31; quality assessment of contributing publications 10/31; handling of missing data 10/31; assessment of statistical heterogeneity 30/31; subgroup analysis 23/31; assessment of publication bias 26/31; agreement on selection and validity assessment 22/31; simple summary results 28/31; data available to calculate effect size and confidence interval 27/31; key findings summarized 30/31; clinical inferences based on internal and external validity 24/31; description of potential biases in the review process 23/31; future research agenda suggested 18/31. CONCLUSIONS: Evidence derived from meta-analyses must be interpreted with caution. Although QUOROM guidelines were observed, quality assessments showed considerable variability.

Two and a Half Hours of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation in a Deceased Brain Dead Donor before Liver Transplantation - A Good Idea to Accept?

The sequelae of cardiac arrest (CA) and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in organ donors potentially results in ischemic organ injury and graft dysfunction after transplantation. Thresholds of resuscitation times in brain dead liver donors have not been established so far. We report the case of a brain dead liver donor who experienced 2.5 hours of CPR whose liver was successfully transplanted. A 75-year-old male experienced CA and was treated by CPR with streptokinase application for 2.5 hours until stabilization of cardiac function. Brain death was diagnosed at the day of admission and organ donation carried out within 24 hours. The DRI was 2.2 with a CIT of 8.8 hours. The liver was transplanted into a 64-year-old recipient suffering from alcoholic liver cirrhosis and a MELD-score of 10 non representative for severity of disease. During follow up of 4 years ERCP and stenting was performed regularly for biliary anastomosis stenosis. The patient remained in a very good overall state of health without any signs of liver dysfunction. This case demonstrates that an extensive period of CPR is not an obligatory exclusion criterion for liver donation. Thresholds of CPR times as well as predictive factors in donors with CA should be established.

Single-Center Experience on Liver Transplantation for Model for End-Stage Liver Disease Score 40 Patients.

BACKGROUND: Organ shortage and waiting list mortality have led to changes in the allocation policy in Eurotransplant. AIM: To identify factors influencing the survival of liver transplanted patients with model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score of 40. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Data of listed adult patients who reached a MELD score 40 in the period 12/2006-06/2010 were reviewed. Donor/graft and recipient characteristics, and operative details were analyzed. Statistical analysis encompassed Kaplan-Meier analysis/log-rank test as well as univariate and multivariable regression analyses. RESULTS: Forty-eight patients achieved a MELD score 40. Thirty patients were transplanted, whereas 18 patients were not. Three-month, 1-year, and 5-year patient and graft survival for transplanted patients was 53, 50, and 47 %, respectively. Three-month and 1-year survival after listing was 11 and 6 % for not transplanted patients, respectively (p < 0.0001). Multivariable analysis revealed pre-operative dialysis (p = 0.0246) and portal vein thrombosis (PVT) (p = 0.0231) to be independent prognostic factors for post-transplant patient survival. A point scoring system was created, which reached statistical significance (p = 0.0007). One-year and 5-year survival for scores 0, 1, and 2 were 72 and 64, 42 and 42 and 0 %, respectively. There was no statistical difference in transplantation costs between patients who survived or died (p = 0.1578). CONCLUSIONS: At our center, coexistence of pre-operative dialysis and PVT represents a clear contraindication for LT regarding MELD score 40 patients.

Kidney transplantation from deceased donors with elevated serum creatinine.

BACKGROUND: Elevated donor serum creatinine has been associated with inferior graft survival in kidney transplantation (KT). The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of elevated donor serum creatinine on short and long-term outcomes and to determine possible ways to optimize the use of these organs. METHODS: All kidney transplants from 01-2000 to 12-2012 with donor creatinine ≥ 2 mg/dl were considered. Risk factors for delayed graft function (DGF) were explored with uni- and multivariate regression analyses. Donor and recipient data were analyzed with uni- and multivariate cox proportional hazard analyses. Graft and patient survival were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: Seventy-eight patients were considered. Median recipient age and waiting time on dialysis were 53 years and 5.1 years, respectively. After a median follow-up of 6.2 years, 63 patients are alive. 1, 3, and 5-year graft and patient survival rates were 92, 89, and 89 % and 96, 93, and 89 %, respectively. Serum creatinine level at procurement and recipient's dialysis time prior to KT were predictors of DGF in multivariate analysis (p = 0.0164 and p = 0.0101, respectively). Charlson comorbidity score retained statistical significance by multivariate regression analysis for graft survival (p = 0.0321). Recipient age (p = 0.0035) was predictive of patient survival by multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Satisfactory long-term kidney transplant outcomes in the setting of elevated donor serum creatinine ≥2 mg/dl can be achieved when donor creatinine is <3.5 mg/dl, and the recipient has low comorbidities, is under 56 years of age, and remains in dialysis prior to KT for <6.8 years.

Laparoscopic liver resection for malignancy in high-risk surgical patients according to ASA classification.

Laparoscopic liver resection (LLR) represents one of the most recent evolutions in the field of surgical oncology. While offering to the patients all the short-term advantages of the laparoscopic approach, the ongoing experience underlines that the long-term outcomes are not negatively influenced through this minimally invasive method. We explored the surgical results in a case series of 5 high-risk patients with American Society of Anesthesiologists' (ASA) Class 3 or more, who underwent LLR in our department. Three bisegmentectomies, one segmentectomy and one wedge resection were performed. All patients could be discharged within the first postoperative week. LLR was safe and efficient in this high-risk patient group. Careful patient selection and individualized preparation for surgery remain the keys for the success of LLR in high ASA class patients.

From Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy to Liver Transplantation: When the Gallbladder Becomes the Pandora s Box.

Bile duct injuries (BDI) tend to be more complex in laparoscopic than in open cholecystectomy procedures, and frequently involve young adults with benign pathologies. The ultimate consequence may be a liver transplantation (LT), making this situation one of the most rare transplant indications. Fatal post-transplant outcome is extreme infrequently reported. Aim of this study is to report on our single-case experience and to review the literature concerning lethal outcome after LT for major BDI following cholecystectomy. A 36-year old obese caucasian woman underwent a laparoscopic cholecystectomy for symptomatic cholecystolithiasis at an outside institution. Intraoperatively, she sustained an E4 BDI in conjunction with total transection of the right hepatic artery. The surgeon converted to an open laparotomy, examined the site, placed two drains, and immediately transferred the patient to our center for further evaluation and treatment. At relaparotomy, a dearterialized right liver as well as 7 bile duct orifices was found; a right hemihepatectomy and a Roux-en-Y drainage of 4 left-sided bile ducts were performed. The postoperative course was complicated by bile leaks requiring re-operation and relapsing episodes of cholangitis and intrahepatic bilomas, requiring re-submissions of the patient and conservative treatment with intravenous antibiotics and percutaneous drainage procedures, respectively. She subsequently developed severe endocarditis leading to cardiac mitral and aortic valves insufficiency (grade III and II, respectively) demanding mechanical replacement of them. The patient developed secondary biliary cirrhosis, was listed to Eurotransplant with a Model for End-Stage Liver Disease score of 39, and underwent LT 19 months after the laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Histology of the explanted liver showed 50% parenchymal necrosis, chronic cholestasis and cirrhosis. On post-transplant day 5, she developed cardiogenic shock associated with pericardial tamponade that despite adequate surgical drainage progressed to multi-organ failure and death 2 days later. The two most frequent complications of hepatobiliary surgery that may ultimately require LT are: 1) lesions of the bile duct leading to recurrent cholangitis, chronic cholestasis, and secondary biliary cirrhosis, and 2) hilar vascular lesions (almost always arterial) associated with fulminant hepatic failure. Up to date there have been very few publications about LT as a treatment option following major BDI. To the best of our knowledge, 4 deaths post-LT after major BDI during laparoscopic cholecystectomy are reported in the literature (1-3) (Table 1). The indications for LT in these 4 cases were fulminant hepatic failure (n=2) (2) and secondary biliary cirrhosis (n=2) (1, 3) and the deaths occurred 6 days, 1 month, 7 and 18 months post-operatively, respectively. Five additional fatal outcomes after LT for secondary biliary cirrhosis after major BDI during open cholecystectomy were reported in the literature (3-5). Four patients died at 7 days, 1 month, 7 and 8 months post-LT, respectively (3-4). The fifth patient died after 2 subsequent transplants for hepatic artery thrombosis unrelated to the initial injury sustained during cholecystectomy (5). This indeed displeasing analysis of the overall 10 cases shows, that despite the very few post-transplant fatal outcomes reported in the literature, this is a real scenario representing one of the most dreaded outcomes of a seemingly simple procedure such as cholecystectomy.

Safely expanding the donor pool: brain dead donors with history of temporary cardiac arrest.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Cardiac arrest (CA) in deceased organ donors can potentially be associated with ischaemic organ injury, resulting in allograft dysfunction after liver transplantation (LT). The aim of this study was to analyse the influence of cardiac arrest in liver donors. METHODS: We evaluated 884 consecutive adult patients undergoing LT at our Institution from September 2003 to December 2011. Uni- and multivariable analyses was performed to identify predictive factors of outcome and survival for organs from donors with (CA donor) and without (no CA donor) a history of cardiac arrest. RESULTS: We identified 77 (8.7%) CA donors. Median resuscitation time was 16.5 (1-150) minutes. Allografts from CA donors had prolonged CIT (p = 0.016), were obtained from younger individuals (p < 0.001), and had higher terminal preprocurement AST and ALT (p < 0.001) than those of no CA donors. 3-month, 1-year and 5-year survival for recipients of CA donor grafts was 79%, 76% and 57% and 72.1%, 65.1% and 53% for no CA donor grafts (log rank p = 0.435). Peak AST after LT was significantly lower in CA donor organs than in no CA donor ones (886U/l vs 1321U/l; p = 0.031). Multivariable analysis identified CIT as a risk factor for both patient and graft survival in CA donors. CONCLUSION: This analysis represents the largest cohort of liver donors with a history of cardiac arrest. Reasonable selection of these donors constitutes a safe approach to the expansion of the donor pool. Rapid allocation and implantation with diminution of CIT may further improve the outcomes of livers from CA donors.

Donor information based prediction of early allograft dysfunction and outcome in liver transplantation.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Poor initial graft function was recently newly defined as early allograft dysfunction (EAD) [Olthoff KM, Kulik L, Samstein B, et al. Validation of a current definition of early allograft dysfunction in liver transplant recipients and analysis of risk factors. Liver Transpl 2010; 16: 943]. Aim of this analysis was to evaluate predictive donor information for development of EAD. METHODS: Six hundred and seventy-eight consecutive adult patients (mean age 51.6 years; 60.3% men) who received a primary liver transplantation (LT) (09/2003-12/2011) were included. Standard donor data were correlated with EAD and outcome by univariable/multivariable logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards to identify prognostic donor factors after adjustment for recipient confounders. Estimates of relevant factors were utilized for construction of a new continuous risk index to develop EAD. RESULTS: 38.7% patients developed EAD. 30-day survival of grafts with and without EAD was 59.8% and 89.7% (P < 0.0001). 30-day survival of patients with and without EAD was 68.5% and 93.1% (P < 0.0001) respectively. Donor body mass index (P = 0.0112), gGT (P = 0.0471), macrosteatosis (P = 0.0006) and cold ischaemia time (CIT) (P = 0.0031) were predictors of EAD. Internal cross validation showed a high predictive value (c-index = 0.622). CONCLUSIONS: Early allograft dysfunction correlates with early results of LT and can be predicted by donor data only. The newly introduced risk index potentially optimizes individual decisions to accept/decline high risk organs. Outcome of these organs might be improved by shortening CIT.

Polo-like kinase 3 is associated with improved overall survival in cholangiocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Cholangiocarcinomas (CCA) paradoxically express the death ligand TRAIL and thus, are dependent on effective survival signals to circumvent apoptosis. Hedgehog signalling exerts major survival signals in CCA by regulating serine/threonine kinase polo-like kinase (PLK)2. We here aimed to examine the role of PLK1/2/3 expression for CCA tumour biology. METHODS: We employed CCA samples from 73 patients and human HUCCT-1/Mz-CHA1/KMCH-1 CCA cells. Immunohistochemistry for PLK1/2/3 was performed using tissue microarrays from representative tumour areas. RESULTS: PLK1/2/3-immunoreactive cancer cells were present in most of the CCA samples. However, only PLK1 and especially PLK3 were expressed in higher amounts within CCA cells as compared to normal liver. Given that fibroblast growth factor (FGF) can induce PLK3 expression and also is present in CCA, we examined the effect of FGF on PLK3 in vitro. Indeed, rhFGF rapidly increased PLK3 mRNA expression all three CCA cell lines giving an explanation for the abundant PLK3 presence in the tissue samples. Clinicopathologically, PLK3 expression was associated with decreased tumour cell migration and lymph/blood vessel infiltration whereas higher levels of PLK1 were correlated with larger tumour sizes. Moreover, strong PLK3 expression was associated with prolonged overall survival. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that PLK3 predominantly is expressed in CCA cells and that high PLK3 expression correlates with prolonged overall survival. These observations might have implications for prognosis prediction of human CCA as well as the potential therapeutic use of polo-like kinase inhibitors (i.e., PLK1/2 specifity).

Using pediatric liver grafts (≤ 6 yr) for adult recipients: A considerable option?

In LT, the common policy is to allocate pediatric liver grafts to pediatric recipients. Pediatric organs are also offered to adults if there is no pediatric recipient. However, they are rarely accepted for adult recipients. So far, there is no information available reporting outcome of LT in adult recipients using pediatric livers from donors ≤ 6 yr. In this study, we included nine adult recipients (seven females and two males) who received grafts from children ≤ 6 yr from January 2008 to December 2013. We evaluated the graft quality, the GBWR and analyzed the recipients' perioperative course. Laboratory samples and graft perfusion were analyzed. Nine adults with a median age of 49 yr (range: 25-65) and a median weight of 60 kg (range: 48-64) underwent LT with a pediatric donor graft. Median donor age was five yr (range: 3-6). Median GBWR was 1.02 (range: 0.86-1.45). After a median follow-up of 3.9 yr (range: 11 months-6.6 yr), patient survival was 100%; graft survival was 89%. One patient needed re-transplantation on the second postoperative day due to PNF. Eight recipients were discharged from the ICU after 2-9 days with a regular graft function. Doppler scans revealed regular flow patterns at any time. Only if denied for pediatric recipients, the use of pediatric livers from donors ≤ 6 yr for adult recipients is a considerable option.

Surgery for liver metastases from breast cancer.

INTRODUCTION: Liver metastases from breast cancer (BCLM) confer poor survival. Liver resection in BCLM patients has been increasingly employed. AIM: We undertook a systematic review to evaluate the role of hepatic resection in patients with breast cancer metastatic to the liver. MATERIALS & METHODS: In total, 36 studies were overviewed. Patient populations, characteristics, morbidity, mortality and survival were documented. RESULTS: Median overall survival was 41 months. Major morbidity was rare while 30-day postoperative mortality was near nil. CONCLUSION: Liver surgery for BCLM can be performed with low mortality, acceptable morbidity and promising survival benefit in carefully selected patients.

MELD at POD 1 as a predictor of outcome in liver allografts with peak AST >5000 U/l.

Perioperative liver graft injury is associated with elevation of aminotransferases after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). Values above 5000 U/l usually are regarded as extreme liver graft injury (ELGI). Some patients and organs recover from this critical condition. The aim of the study was to evaluate factors contributing to graft and patient survival after ELGI. From chart review we identified 64 of 917 OLT adult patients (median age 54.2 years; 68.8% males) transplanted between 11/2003 and 02/2012, who presented ELGI after OLT. Donor and recipient factors were analyzed and correlated with the outcome by univariable and multivariable methods. Multivariable cox proportional hazards showed that recipient's BMI (P = 0.01), model for end stage liver disease (MELD) score before OLT (P = 0.02) and laboratory MELD score 24 h after OLT (P = 0.01) were independently associated with patient survival. 30-days and 12-months survival in patients with a postoperative laboratory MELD higher than 31 was 21.4%, while patients with a postoperative laboratory MELD lower than 31 displayed 30-days and 12-months survival rates of 80% and 71.8%, respectively (P < 0.001). Retransplantation in the setting of ELGI after OLT should be based on all available data. Utilization of the postoperative labMELD enables the transplant physician within 24 h after transplantation to identify necessity of retransplantation objectively.