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Among a total of 220 liver transplants, reduced-size liver was used in 21 cases due to discrepancies in size between recipient and donors in 19 patients. In the case of two adult patients suffering from fulminant hepatic failure and in a critical condition, only one donor organ became available, so that the graft was divided to give the two recipients an equal opportunity. The two patients with fulminant hepatic failure were admitted to the ICU requiring mechanical respiration almost at the same time. Hepatitis serologies were HBcAb+, HBsAb+, and VCA+ in one and negative in the second. They had different blood groups (A.Rh+, O.Rh-), and the only donor available was located in Milan, Italy. The graft perfused with UW. was divided into two (right side, segments IV, V, VI, VII, and VIII, and left side, segments I, II and III). The recipients were transplanted 50 and 48 hours after admission. The cold ischemia time was 7.10 and 16.50 hours. The first patient, who received the right lobe, was extubated at 48 hours and discharged on the 40th postransplant day. The second patient remained unconscious with progressive deterioration; an EEG on the 4th day revealed absence of higher cortical function.

We present the results we obtained during the last 12 years with transhiatal esophagectomy. Two hundred and eighty-three patients were operated on using this procedure; 171 of them underwent the operation for cancer of the esophagus, 73 for cancer of the cardia, and 11 for cancer of the hypopharynx. The tumor stage, the operative technique, and the type of esophageal replacement (stomach: 62.9%; colon: 37.1%) are described. Overall operative mortality was 5.6%, mainly as a result of respiratory insufficiency. Long-term survival was 11.9% at five years for cancer of the esophagus, much lower than the 48.3% for cancer of the cardia.

The authors report on their experience of 158 liver transplants performed on 135 patients. Nineteen underwent re-transplantation and four of these required a second re-transplantation; total number of re-transplantations: 23 (14.6%). Hepatic cirrhosis was the most common indication (50.6%), of which alcoholic cirrhosis was the most common type (32.5%). The authors briefly report on their operative techniques and the results of their procedures. The operative mortality (30 days) was 13.3% (18 out of 135 patients). Complications included nine cases of hepatic artery thrombosis (5.7%), four of arterial stenosis (2.5%), one case of portal venous stenosis (0.63%), four cases of post-operative portal venous thrombosis (2.5%), seven of biliary fistula (4.4%; five following choledochocholedochostomy and two following choledochojejunostomy), and two cases of common bile duct stenosis (1.3%). The actuarial survival rate at 48 months is 80%.