External Biliary Fistula in Orthotopic Liver Transplantation

Two-staged biliary reconstruction with temporary complete external biliary drainage as a bailout procedure in a pediatric patient after difficult living donor liver retransplantation

Biliary leakage at the site of the hepaticojejunostomy after liver transplantation is a life-threatening complication. We herein present the case of a 7-year-old girl who underwent complete external biliary drainage during difficult living donor liver retransplantation as a bailout procedure. The patient had undergone duct-to-duct biliary reconstruction in the initial living donor liver transplantation. In the retransplantation, Roux-en-Y (RY) reconstruction was planned but abandoned due to the critical condition in the operation. As an alternative procedure, the patient underwent complete external drainage using a 6Fr drainage tube with cuff. Five months after retransplantation when the nutrition status and physical strength of a patient recovered fully, RY hepaticojejunostomy was successfully performed. This is a case report of two-staged biliary reconstruction with temporary complete external biliary drainage used in pediatric liver retransplantation, which was performed after some months not a few days. It is a safe and feasible alternative when primary anastomosis is deemed to carry a high risk of bile leakage in cases of difficult liver transplantation in critically ill patients.

Peri-hepatic gauze packing for the control of haemorrhage during liver transplantation: A retrospective study

BACKGROUND

Albeit accepted in the trauma setting, use of peri-hepatic gauze packing has been rarely reported during liver transplantation.

AIMS

To assess the results of packing in liver transplantation.

METHODS

We reviewed clinical characteristics, intraoperative events and postoperative outcome of consecutive adult liver transplantation recipients between 2003 and 2013. Patients treated with packing were compared to no-packing patients and to matched controls selected using a propensity score.

RESULTS

Of 1396 recipients, 107 were treated with packing for peri-hepatic bleeding (76.6%), allograft damage (12.1%) or partial outflow obstruction (11.2%). Urgent reoperation for ongoing haemorrhage was required in 6 (5.6%). Correction of haemodynamic and coagulation parameters was constantly achieved. Overall, patient (90% vs. 98%, p<0.001) and graft (83.2% vs. 94.7%, p<0.001) 3-month survival was significantly reduced in packing patients. However, after matching, no significant difference was observed in patient (89.3% vs. 95.2%, p=0.12) and graft (83.5% vs. 92.2%, p=0.06) 3-month survival. Patient survival was associated with recipient age (HR 2.59; p=0.04) and donor age × recipient MELD (HR 2.04; p=0.02), but not with packing (HR 1.81; p=0.29).

CONCLUSIONS

In our experience, packing was a valuable adjunct to conventional means of haemostasis during liver transplantation and, after accounting for confounding covariates, was not associated with inferior outcomes.

Biliary complications after liver transplantation

Biliary complications (BCs) remain one of the most outstanding factors influencing long-term results after orthotopic liver transplantation. The authors carried out a systematic overview of 1720 papers since 2008, and focused on 45 relevant ones. Among 14,411 transplanted patients the incidence of BCs was 23%. Biliary leakage occurred in 8.5%, biliary stricture in 14.7%, mortality rate was 1-3%.

RISK FACTORS

preoperative sodium level; p = 0.037, model of end-stage liver disease score >25; p = 0.048, primary sclerosing cholangitis; p = 0.001, malignancy; p = 0.026, donor age >60, macrovesicular graft steatosis; p = 0.001, duct-to-duct anastomosis; p = 0.004, long anhepatic phase; p = 0.04, cold ischemic time >12 h; p = 0.043, use of T-tube; p = 0.032, insufficient flush of bile ducts; p = 0.001, acute rejection; p = 0.003, cytomegalovirus infection; p = 0.004 and hepatic artery thrombosis; p = 0.001. The management was surgical in case of biliary leakage, and interventional radiology or endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography in case of biliary stricture. Mapping of miRNA profile is a new field of research. Nemes-Doros score is a useful tool in the estimation of hepatic artery thrombosis. Management of BCs requires a multidisciplinary expert team.