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Surgery is the treatment of choice for hilar cholangiocarcinoma (HCC). Obtaining tumor-free margins (RO resection) has been reported as the only prognostic factor associated with increased survival. The aim of this study was to analyze a consecutive series of patients operated with curative intent over a 14-year period.This is a retrospective study of patients operated with curative intent between 1994 and 2008. Hepatic resection was associated with resection of segment 1, extrahepatic bile duct and lymph node dissection in all cases.40 patients, 62% male with a mean age of 58.2 years. Jaundice was the most common presenting symptom (70%). Biliary confluence was compromised in 62% oftumors. Thirty-nine patients underwent major hepatectomy with 95% RO resections and 6 associated vascular resections. Postoperative morbidity was 37.5% and mortality 10%. Overall survival and disease-free survival at 1, 3 and 5 years was 88% and 63%, 55% and 34%, and 43% and 24%, respectively.The association of major hepatectomy with caudate lobe resection and vascular resection when needed, was associated with 95% tumor-free margin and morbidity and mortality rate according to the standards of the international literature. While it is necessary a greater number of cases, associated vascular resection seems to be a feasible and safe option in the treatment of locally advanced HCC.

Even though recent advances in liver surgery have led to a more efficient approach to hilar cholangiocarcinoma (HC), resection with curative intent remains a challenge for hepatobiliary surgeons [1]. There is strong evidence to show better survival and long-term outcomes when microscopically tumor-free surgical margins are obtained in these patients [2]. En-bloc resections of liver parenchyma with the extrahepatic bile duct is mandatory to manage tumors with direct hepatic invasion, as well as to accomplish an R0 resection on tumors that frequently extend longitudinally out to involve the hepatic ducts [3–5].

To describe the role of MDCT-volumetry to monitor and predict liver hypertrophy in a recently introduced surgical technique in patients needing hepatectomy.This prospective study was approved by the local research and ethics committee and patient informed consent was obtained. Twelve consecutive patients were selected for associating liver partition and portal vein ligation for staged-hepatectomy procedure. The mean absolute the future-liver-remnant (FLR) and FLR/total liver volume (TLV) ratio was calculated before and after surgery to determine the degree of hypertrophy. Six days after surgery a new CT-examination was performed to determine the FLR-volume and FLR/TLV. If the enlargement of the FLR was the expected a second-step surgery was performed. Continuous variables are expressed as mean (range). A p0.05 was considered significant.The mean pre-operative FLR-volume was 402 mL and the FLR/TLV was 27%. The mean post-operative FLR-volume 6 days after the first step was 702 mL (range 521-1030 mL) being the mean difference between preoperative and postoperative FLR volume 303 mL (p0.0001). The mean volume increase was 80% ranged from 21-139%. At day six, FLR/TLV was 46.5% (range 33.5-67.7), morbidity was 41% and mortality 0%.MDCT-volumetry has a key role in decision-making, monitoring and predicting liver hypertrophy pre- and postoperatively.

Postoperative liver failure (PLF) is the most feared and severe complication after extensive liver resections.We present an innovative surgical technique that has been employed for the treatment of three patients (two with multiple colorectal liver metastases and one with hilar cholangiocarcinoma) whose livers were previously considered locally unresectable because of an insufficient future liver remnant (FLR). In-situ liver transection with right portal vein ligation was implemented.Six days after surgery a volumetric computed tomography (CT)-scan showed 40-80% hypertrophy of the FLR. The patients then underwent a completion surgery with right hepatectomy or right trisectionectomy. None of the patients developed PLF during a mean hospital stay of 16 days. After a mean follow-up of two months, the three of them are free of disease.This technique induced rapid growth of the FLR, greater than that reported with portal vein occlusion alone. It represents a promising advance in oncological liver surgery that readdresses the current management of patients with primarily unresectable liver disease. Such a revolutionary strategy allows a two-stage surgical approach during a single hospital stay and without PLF. However, further research is needed to determine the long-term outcomes of this technique and to explain the occurrence of such enhanced liver regeneration.

Background Clinical presentation, treatment and prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma depend on the presence or absence of cirrhosis. In the literature there are few reports of hepatocellular carcinoma in non-cirrhotic patients. Objective To describe a consecutive series of resected patients with hepatocellular carcinoma in non-cirrhotic liver and to identify prognostic factors of recurrence and survival. Material and methods Between 1990 and 2006, 51 patients were operated on. Data were collected retrospectively until 2001 and prospectively from then on. The results of surgery were assessed. Single and multivariate analyses were performed to identify factors associated with survival and disease-free survival. Results Thirty-three patients were male, median age 49.8 years. A major hepatectomy was performed in 72%. Morbidity was 43% and mortality was 0%. One-, two- and three-year survival rates were 90%, 75%, and 67%, respectively. One-, two- and three-year disease-free survival rates were 65%, 41%, and 37%, respectively. Presence of vascular invasion and of positive nodes was statistically significant for survival in univariate analysis but had no statistical significance in multivariate analysis. Conclusions Major hepatic resection is a safe treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma in noncirrhotic patients. Both vascular invasion and presence of positive nodes were associated with poor survival. However, neither of them represented an independent variable.

Bile duct injury (BDI) is a severe complication that may arise during the surgical treatment of a benign disease. A significant proportion of cases develop end-stage liver disease and a liver transplant is required. The aim of this study was to analyze the indications and results of liver transplantation as treatment for BDI.Between January 1988 and May 2007, 20 patients with end-stage liver disease secondary to BDI were included on the liver transplant waiting list. Retrospective charts were analyzed and survival was estimated by the Kaplan-Meier test.Four patients died while on the waiting list and 16 received a transplant. Injury to the bile duct occurred during a cholecystectomy in 13 of 16 patients, with the main cause of the lesion being duct division in six patients and resection in four. All patients had received some surgical treatment (median = 2 procedures) before being considered for a transplant. The liver transplant came from a cadaveric donor for all patients and the median time between BDI and liver transplant was 60 months. Two patients died in the postoperative period and nine had complications. Three patients died in the late postoperative period. Median follow-up was 62 (range = 24-152) months. One-, three-, and five-year survival rates were 81, 75, and 75%, respectively.Complex bile duct injuries and bile duct injuries with previous repair attempts can result in end-stage liver disease. In these cases, liver transplantation provides long-term survival.

Background. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is the present treatment of choice for patients with gallbladder stones, despite its being associated with a higher incidence of biliary injuries compared with the open procedure. Injuries occurring during the laparoscopic approach seem to be more complex. A complex biliary injury is a disease that is difficult to diagnose and treat. We considered complex injuries: 1) injuries that involve the confluence; 2) injuries in which repair attempts have failed; 3) any bile duct injury associated with a vascular injury; 4) or any biliary injury in association with portal hypertension or secondary biliary cirrhosis. The present review is an evaluation of our experience in the treatment of these complex biliary injuries and an analysis of the international literature on the management of patients.

Introduction Acute calculous cholecystitis represents one of the most common complications of cholelithiasis. While laparoscopic cholecystectomy is the standard treatment in mild and moderate forms, the need for antibiotic therapy after surgery remains undefined. The aim of the randomised controlled Cholecystectomy Antibiotic Randomised Trial (CHART) is therefore to assess if there are benefits in the use of postoperative antibiotics in patients with mild or moderate acute cholecystitis in whom a laparoscopic cholecystectomy is performed. Methods and analysis A single-centre, double-blind, randomised trial. After screening for eligibility and informed consent, 300 patients admitted for acute calculus cholecystitis will be randomised into two groups of treatment, either receiving amoxicillin/clavulanic acid or placebo for 5 consecutive days. Postoperative evaluation will take place during the first 30 days. Postoperative infectious complications are the primary end point. Secondary end points are length of hospital stay, readmissions, need of reintervention (percutaneous or surgical reinterventions) and overall mortality. The results of this trial will provide strong evidence to either support or abandon the use of antibiotics after surgery, impacting directly in the incidence of adverse events associated with the use of antibiotics, the emergence of bacterial resistance and treatment costs. Ethics and dissemination This study and informed consent sheets have been approved by the Research Projects Evaluating Committee (CEPI) of Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires (protocol N° 2111). Results The results of the trial will be reported in a peer-reviewed publication. Trial registration number NCT02057679.

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is the treatment of choice for gallbladder stones. In the current study, this approach was associated with a higher incidence of biliary injuries. The authors evaluate their experience treating complex biliary injuries and analyze the literature.In a 15-year period, 169 patients with bile duct injuries (BDIs) resulting from open and laparoscopic cholecystectomies were treated. The patients were retrospectively evaluated through their records. Biliary injury and associated lesions were evaluated with imaging studies. Surgical management included therapeutic endoscopy, percutaneous interventions, hepaticojejunostomy, liver resection, and liver transplantation. Postoperative outcome was recorded. Survival analysis was performed with G-Stat and NCSS programs using the Kaplan-Meier method.Of the 169 patients treated for BDIs, 148 were referred from other centers. The injuries included 115 lesions resulting from open cholecystectomy and 54 lesions resulting from laparoscopic cholecystectomy. A total of 110 patients (65%) fulfilled the criteria for complex injuries, 11 of whom met more than one criteria. Injuries resulting from laparoscopic and open cholecystectomies were complex in 87.5% and 72% of the patients, respectively. The procedures used were percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage for 30 patients, hepaticojejunostomy for 96 patients, rehepaticojejunostomy for 16 patients, hepatic resection for 9 patients, and liver transplantation projected for 18 patients. Hepaticojejunostomy was effective for 85% of the patients. The mean follow-up period was 77.8 months (range, 4-168 months). The mortality rate for noncomplex BDI was 0%, as compared with the mortality rate of 7.2% (8/110) for complex BDI. Mortality after hepatic resection was nil, and morbidity was 33.3%. The actuarial survival rate for liver transplantation at 1 year was 91.7%.Complex BDIs after laparoscopic cholecystectomy are potentially life-threatening complications. In this study, late complications of complex BDIs appeared when there was a delay in referral or the patient received multiple procedures. On occasion, hepatic resections and liver transplantation proved to be the only definitive treatments with good long-term outcomes and quality of life.

Hepatic involvement by tuberculosis is a rare type of manifestation of the disease. There are several forms of clinical presentations. One of them is the hepatic tuberculoma in which we base our presentation. Given that hepatic tuberculoma is a rare entity and generally shows inespecific symptoms, it is rarely suspected by the clinical picture. The diagnosis of hepatic tuberculosis is generally done in the intraoperative or postoperative period by analyzing a specimen taken by laparoscopy or laparotomy during the study of a hepatic mass. Laboratory tests or image studies do not give pathognomonic information to conform the diagnosis. The cornerstone in the treatment of this pathology is the antituberculous therapy. Surgical or endoscopic interventions are occasionally required. The role of surgery in the treatment of this pathology is reserved for a few solitary lesions. Once the correct treatment is performed the outcome is favorable. We present 4 cases of hepatic tuberculoma with different imaging and clinical presentations.

BackgroundBile duct injury (BDI) is a severe complication that may arise during the surgical treatment of benign disease and a few patients will develop end-stage liver disease (ESLD) requiring a liver transplant (LT).ObjectiveAnalyse the experience using LT as a definitive treatment of BDI in Argentina.Patients and MethodsA national survey regarding the experience of LT for BDI.ResultsSixteen out 18 centres reported a total of 19 patients. The percentage of LT for BDI from the total number of LT per period was: 1990–94 = 3.1%, 1995–99 = 1.6%, 2000–04 = 0.7% and 2005–09 = 0.2% (P < 0.001). The mean age was 45.7 ± 10.3 years (range 26–62) and 10 patients were female. The BDI occurred during cholecystectomy in 16 and 7 had vascular injuries. One patient presented with acute liver failure and the others with chronic ESLD. The median time between BDI and LT was 71 months (range 0.2–157). The mean follow-up was 8.3 years (10 months to 16.4 years). Survival at 1, 3, 5 and 10 years was 73%, 68%, 68% and 45%, respectively.ConclusionsThe use of LT for the treatment of BDI declined over the review period. LT plays a role in selected cases in patients with acute liver failure and ESLD.National survey showing a declining use for liver transplantation in the treatment of bile duct injury but highlighting a key role in selected patients with acute liver failure and end stage liver disease