Portal diversion for the treatment of glycogen storage disease in humans

Expert management of congenital portosystemic shunts and their complications

Congenital portosystemic shunts are often associated with systemic complications, the most challenging of which are liver nodules, pulmonary hypertension, endocrine abnormalities, and neurocognitive dysfunction. In the present paper, we offer expert clinical guidance on the management of liver nodules, pulmonary hypertension, and endocrine abnormalities, and we make recommendations regarding shunt closure and follow-up.

Modified Cavoportal Hemitransposition for Severe Portal Vein Thrombosis Contributed to Long-term Survival After Deceased Donor Liver Transplantation-Insight Into Portal Modulation for Improving Survival: A Case Report

BACKGROUND

Severe/massive portal vein thrombosis (PVT) deteriorates peri-liver transplantation outcomes. Cavoportal hemitransposition (CPHT) is a rescue procedure for severe PVT, and short-term outcomes have been well studied. However, CPHT is associated with some long-term issues caused by portal flow modulation via extraordinary reconstruction. We describe a patient with Yerdel grade 4 PVT who underwent a liver transplant and achieved long-term survival with CPHT and a portosystemic shunt.

CASE REPORT

A 50-year-old man with liver cirrhosis underwent a deceased donor liver transplant. Preoperative examinations indicated Yerdel grade 4 PVT; thus, we planned a CPHT. In liver transplant surgery, we confirmed diffusely complete PVT and removed them as possible. After placing a liver graft, we performed CPHT and confirmed that the graft received sufficient portal vein flow. However, the gastroepiploic vein pressure increased significantly. Therefore, we added a portosystemic shunt between the splenic vein and the inferior vena cava, and the pressure improved. The patient was discharged after an uneventful hospital stay, and he reported no unfavorable events for over 12 years.

CONCLUSIONS

This case study suggested that a modified CPHT with a portosystemic shunt for Grade 4 PVT was useful in preventing post-liver transplant PVT development and improved the outcome.

Multivisceral transplant as an option to transplant cirrhotic patients with severe portal vein thrombosis

Non-tumoral portal vein thrombosis (PVT) is a critical complication in the patient with advanced cirrhosis awaiting liver transplantation (LT). With the evolution of liver transplant (LT) technique, PVT has morphed from an absolute contraindication to a relative contraindication, depending on the grade of the thrombus. The Yerdel classification is one system of grading PVT severity. Patients with Yerdel class 1-3 PVT can undergo LT at centers with experience in complex portal vein (PV) dissection, thrombectomy, and reconstruction. Class 4 PVT, however, is even more complex and may require heroic techniques such as cavoportal hemitransposition, PV arterialization or multivisceral transplant (MVT). Some centers use a MVT back-up approach for patients with Yerdel class 4 PVT. In these patients, all organs with PV outflow are procured simultaneously as a cluster graft from a deceased donor (liver, pancreas, intestine±stomach). If physiologic PV inflow is established intraoperatively, the recipient undergoes LT. Otherwise the MVT graft is transplanted. MVT establishes physiologic PV flow, but transplantation of the intestine confers significant lifelong risks including rejection, graft-versus host disease and post-transplant lymphoma. Yerdel class 1-4 PVT patients undergoing successful LT have 5-year survival similar to non-PVT patients, while patients requiring full MVT experience somewhat higher mortality because of the complexity of the surgery and medical management.

Cavoportal Hemitransposition in Liver Transplantation: Toward a More Safe and Efficient Technique

Extended splanchnic venous thrombosis represents a challenge for the liver transplantation (LT) surgeon. In the absence of large venous tributaries, the cavoportal hemitransposition (CPHTr) and the combined liver-intestinal or multivisceral transplantation are the only technical solutions. Because of the reported high morbidity and mortality rates due to infrequent use and a lack of standardization, the former technique has been almost abandoned by the transplant community. A newly designed technique of CPHTr is presented that is based on the combination of an inferior vena cava (IVC)-sparing hepatectomy and large laterolateral cavocaval and end-to-side cavoportal anastomoses separated only by a double vascular stapler line. This technique allows the splanchnic blood to be completely diverted toward the allograft and to eliminate low-flow IVC areas, which possibly lead to complications. The modified CPHTr technique proposed here offers a valuable alternative to much more complex and invasive intestinal transplantation procedures.

Prevention of complications in glycogen storage disease type Ia with optimization of metabolic control

Prior to 1971, type Ia glycogen storage disease was marked by life-threatening hypoglycemia, lactic acidosis, severe failure to thrive, and developmental delay. With the introduction of continuous feeds in the 1970s and cornstarch in the 1980s, the prognosis improved, but complications almost universally developed. Changes in the management of type Ia glycogen storage disease have resulted in improved metabolic control, and this manuscript reviews the increasing evidence that complications can be delayed or prevented with optimal metabolic control as previously was seen in diabetes.

Pediatric Vascular Surgery Review with a 30-Year-Experience in a Tertiary Referral Center

Pediatric vascular disease is rare, and remains a big challenge to vascular surgeons. In contrast to adults, surgery for pediatric vascular disease is complicated by issues related to small size, future growth, and availability of suitable vascular conduit. During the last 30 years, 131 major vascular operations were performed in a tertiary referral center, Seoul National University Hospital, including aortoiliac aneurysm, acute or chronic arterial occlusion, renovascular hypertension, portal venous hypertension, trauma, tumor invasion to major abdominal vessels, and others. Herein we review on the important pediatric vascular diseases and share our clinical experiences on these rare diseases.

Reappraisal of the Role of Portacaval Shunting in the Growth of Patients With Glycogen Storage Disease Type I in the Era of Liver Transplantation

BACKGROUND

Instead of dietary modification, surgical management is considered for correcting growth retardation, poor metabolic control, and hepatocellular adenoma (HCA) in glycogen storage disease (GSD) type I.

METHODS

The records of 55 GSD type I patients were retrospectively reviewed. Thirty-two patients underwent only dietary management (group D) and 23 underwent surgical management (group S). In group S, 17 underwent portacaval shunting (PCS), 13 underwent liver transplantation (LT; 7 underwent both PCS and LT). Height-for-age and body mass index-for-age Z-scores based on World Health Organization data were used to compare growth patterns before and after surgery. Changes in metabolic abnormalities and HCA after operation were also investigated.

RESULTS

Height-for-age Z-scores for group S were higher by an average of 0.377 compared to that for group D. Metabolic abnormalities often disappeared after LT but improved partially after PCS. De novo HCA was detected in 4 patients (13%) from group D, 12 (100%) who underwent PCS, and none who underwent LT. One case of hepatocellular carcinoma and one of hemorrhage from a HCA were noted in group D. Two cases of hepatocellular carcinoma, 2 of hemorrhage, and 1 of necrosis were noted after PCS.

CONCLUSIONS

Surgery yielded greater growth improvement than dietary management. However, after PCS, metabolic abnormalities remained unresolved, and the de novo HCA rate was high. Portacaval shunting can be used to improve growth in GSD type I patients when LT is not possible, but close observation for metabolic abnormalities and HCA is essential.

A Novel Technique of Ilio-Portal Venous Bypass to Relieve Symptoms of Pelvic Vein Congestion in a Patient with Inferior Vena Cava Agenesis

A 37 year old man known to have inferior vena cava agenesis, presented to our center with severe symptoms of pelvic venous congestion. Surgical approach was attempted by creating a bypass between the right external iliac vein and the portal vein using an autogenous venous bypass (superficial femoral vein). Over a three year follow up, the bypass remained patent with complete resolution of symptoms. The ilio-portal venous bypass suggests a surgical alternative that has not been previously described.

Systemic Venous Inflow to the Liver Allograft to Overcome Diffuse Splanchnic Venous Thrombosis

Diffuse splanchnic venous thrombosis (DSVT), formerly defined as contraindication for liver transplantation (LT), is a serious challenge to the liver transplant surgeon. Portal vein arterialisation, cavoportal hemitransposition and renoportal anastomosis, and finally combined liver and small bowel transplantation are all possible alternatives to deal with this condition. Five patients with preoperatively confirmed extensive splanchnic venous thrombosis were transplanted using cavoportal hemitransposition (4x) and renoportal anastomosis (1x). Median follow-up was 58 months (range: 0,5 to 130 months). Two patients with previous radiation-induced peritoneal injury died, respectively, 18 days and 2 months after transplantation. The three other patients had excellent long-term survival, despite the fact that two of them needed a surgical reintervention for severe gastrointestinal bleeding. Extensive splanchnic venous thrombosis is no longer an absolute contraindication to liver transplantation. Although cavoportal hemitransposition and renoportal anastomosis undoubtedly are life-saving procedures allowing for ensuring adequate allograft portal flow, careful follow-up of these patients remains necessary as both methods are unable to completely eliminate the complications of (segmental) portal hypertension.

Insight into congenital absence of the portal vein: Is it rare?

Congenital absence of portal vein (CAPV) was a rare event in the past. However, the number of detected CAPV cases has increased in recent years because of advances in imaging techniques. Patients with CAPV present with portal hypertension (PH) or porto-systemic encephalopathy (PSE), but these conditions rarely occur until the patients grow up or become old. The patients usually visit doctors for the complications of venous shunts, hepatic or cardiac abnormalities detected by ultrasonography (US), computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The etiology of this disease is not clear, but most investigators consider that it is associated with abnormal embryologic development of the portal vein. Usually, surgical intervention can relieve the symptoms and prevent occurrence of complications in CAPV patients. Moreover, its management should be stressed on a case-by-case basis, depending on the type or anatomy of the disease, as well as the symptoms and clinical conditions of the patient.

Glycogen storage disease: new approaches to therapy

Detailed studies of the effect of 32 days of intravenous alimentation on the metabolic, hormonal and clinical status of a 4-year-old boy with Type I glycogenosis revealed that the biochemical abnormalities and growth failure in this disorder are a consequence of glucose lack after brief periods of fasting which results from the inborn enzyme deficiency. Long-term (1.5-5.7 years) observations of the therapeutic effects of portacaval shunt without and with continuous overnight intragastic glucose by gastrostomy in two brothers, and of continuous overnight intragastric glucose alone in five other patients with this disorder, on metabolic status and physical growth and development suggest that adequate glucose can be provided by the intragastric route without hepatic portal circulatory by-pass. The introduction of this therapy in the first year of life should prevent the serious risk to life and long-term failure in growth and development previously observed in patients with Types I and III glycogenosis.

Portacaval shunt for glycogen storage disease and hyperlipidaemia

Complete portacaval shunt was used to treat 10 patients with glycogen storage disease. A favourable effect was noted on body growth and a number of metabolic abnormalities. More recently, continous night feedings with an intermittently placed gastric tube or through a gastrostomy has been shown to be helpful either before or after portacaval shunts. Such alimentation techniques may eliminate the need for shunts in some patients and be of adjuvant benefit in others. Portacaval shunt was also used for three children who had homozygous Type II hyperlipidaemia. Substantial reductions in serum cholesterol concentration were observed, as well as resorption of xanthomas. Reversal of some cardiovascular lesions has been documented. The benefits of portacaval shunt in these disorders is probably due to the change in the hormone climate of the liver and the whole organism brought about by diversion of the hormone-rich splanchnic venous blood around the liver.

Liver atrophy, hypertrophy and regenerative hyperplasia in the rat: the relevance of blood flow

Liver perfusion can be measured sequentially by monitoring the clearance of 85krypton injected into the portal circulation. Preliminary studies in dogs show that the method reflects gas clearance from a homogeneously perfused liver parenchyma and correlates well with measurements of total hepatic blood flow. The method has been adapted to measurement of liver blood flow in normal rats, partially hepatectomized rats and after portacaval transposition with and without partial hepatectomy. There is a marked rise of approximately 250% in the first four hours after partial hepatectomy in the rat. After portacaval trans-position, liver blood flow remains within the normal range and no great rise occurs after partial hepatectomy. In animals subjected to portacaval transposition, there is a reduction in relative liver weight (liver weight/body weight ratio) and when partial hepatectomy is performed three weeks after portacaval transposition, the relative liver weight is regained within three weeks, and does not differ from that of non-hepatectomized controls. DNA synthetic activity, studied during the 72 hours after partial hepatectomy performed three weeks after portacaval transposition, shows an uptake of tritiated thymidine into liver DNA of the same magnitude as and contemporaneous with that of controls. Liver atrophy after portal diversion is not a result of a decrease in absolute liver blood flow. Regenerative hyperplasia appears to be independent of a direct supply of portal blood and occurs in the absence of the post-hepatectomy rise in liver blood flow seen in normal rats.

Surgical strategies for liver transplantation in the case of portal vein thrombosis--current role of cavoportal hemitransposition and renoportal anastomosis

Portal vein thrombosis (PVT), a common complication of end stage liver disease, is no longer considered a definite contraindication for liver transplantation (LTx). The clinical decision to perform an LTx in the case of PVT depends on the degree of PVT and the experience of the surgeon. Eversion thromboendovenectomy was suggested by most authors as the surgical technique of choice for PVT grade 1, 2, and 3. If PVT obstructs more extended parts of the porto-mesenteric venous circulation, surgical options would include different types of venous jump graft reconstructions or arterialization of the portal vein. Combined liver and small bowel transplantation is another possible alternative. Cavoportal hemitransposition (CPHT) and renoportal anastomosis (RPA) were recently particularly advocated as creative surgical strategies in case of diffuse PVT. In this work, we focus on CPHT and RPA surgical techniques during LTx, which attempts to secure the portal flow to the liver graft in case of pre-existent diffuse PVT. We provide a review of all reported clinical experience at international clinical centers using these techniques. According to our meta-analysis a total of 15 studies were published on this topic between 1996 and 2005. In summary, a total of 56 orthotopic LTx have been performed in 53 patients (28 men, 25 women) combined with either CPHT or RPA, for the purpose of providing the donor graft with adequate inflow. Mean age was 44 yr including two patients who were infants, with the youngest recipient being two yr old. Main indications for LTx were liver cirrhosis caused by viral hepatitis, alcoholic cirrhosis and cryptogenic cirrhosis. CPHT was performed in 46 cases, and RPA in 10 cases. Thirty-five of 53 patients (66%) had surgery previous to LTx. Of these, 13 patients (37%) [corrected] presented with a history of other previous surgical procedures for decompression of portal hypertension or treatment of associated complications (portocaval shunts, splenectomy, etc). Ascites, renal dysfunction, lower extremity and torso edema and variceal bleeding were dominant post-operative complications after CPHT or RPA noted in 22 cases (41.5%), 18 cases (34%), 17 cases (32%) and 13 cases (24.5%) respectively. Patients' follow-up ranged from two to 48 months. Thirty nine of 53 patients [corrected] (74%) survived [corrected] and 14 patients died (26%) [corrected] during the course of observation. Based on the literature, we conclude that the ideal technique to overcome PVT during LTx is still controversial. Short-term follow-up results of both methods are promising, however, long-term results are unknown at present. Furthermore, clinical follow-up and basic experimental work is required to evaluate the influence of systemic venous inflow to the liver graft with respect to long-term liver function and liver regeneration.

Glucogenosis tipo III asociada a carcinoma hepatocelular

Type III glycogen storage disease is a hereditary disorder with autosomal recessive transmission. It is characterized by accumulation of abnormal glycogen in the liver and, in 80% of patients, in muscle. The liver can also show fibrosis and sometimes cirrhosis. Until 2000, 9 cases of cirrhosis had been published, 3 of which showed associated hepatocarcinoma. We present the case of a 31-year-old woman, diagnosed in childhood with type III glycogen storage disease, who 30 years after onset developed a hepatocellular carcinoma with portal thrombosis in the context of advanced cirrhosis. This is the first case to be reported in the Spanish literature of type III glycogen storage disease associated with hepatocellular carcinoma.

Total hepatectomy and liver transplant for hepatocellular adenomatosis and focal nodular hyperplasia

Extensive hepatocellular adenomatosis (HA) and focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH) represent a proliferation of hepatic cells that occurs most frequently in women. These lesions are uncommon in the pediatric age group, accounting for 2% of pediatric hepatic tumors, and are extremely rare in males. The etiology of HA and FNH has been correlated with the use of oral contraceptives. We report to the best of our knowledge the first series of patients treated with OLTx for HA and FNH (five cases). All these patients had lesions involving at least 90% of the hepatic parenchyma and all underwent major hepatic surgery before OLTx because of life threatening complications. One patient died in the immediate postoperative period following retransplantation for primary non-function of the first OLTx. Four out of five patients are currently alive from 4.1 to 9.6 years after OLTx. Our results justify the use of OLTx for symptomatic patients with HA and FNH who cannot be treated with conventional hepatic resections.

Cavoportal hemitransposition in liver transplantation

Over the last decade a large number of patients with portal vein thrombosis have undergone successful liver transplantation. In most of these patients, simple modifications in vascular reconstruction techniques are adequate. However, anastomosis of the donor portal vein may not be possible in the presence of extensive portal and superior mesenteric venous thrombosis and in the absence of any other large tributary of the portal venous system. Cavoportal hemitransposition has been described as a salvage technique under these circumstances. We report a 43-year-old patient who underwent such a procedure and remains well 1 year later. We review the literature and discuss the implications of cavoportal hemitransposition.

Hepatocellular carcinoma complicating liver cirrhosis in type IIIa glycogen storage disease

Type III glycogen storage disease (GSD III) is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by the accumulation of abnormal glycogen in the liver and, in most patients, in the muscle. Although liver fibrosis is a well-known consequence of GSD III, until now only eight cases of liver cirrhosis and two cases of hepatocellular carcinoma have been described in patients affected by this disease. In this case report, the authors describe the clinical history of a patient affected by GSD III who developed severe liver disease during her adult life, progressing from fibrosis to cirrhosis and finally to hepatocellular carcinoma. Until now, the hepatic involvement in GSD III has been considered by most authors as mild and almost always self-limiting. This report, together with the previously published cases, clearly indicates that severe and progressive liver disease may complicate this metabolic disorder. These observations advise a careful hepatologic follow-up of patients affected by GSD III.

Caval inflow to the graft: a successful way to overcome diffuse portal system thrombosis in liver transplantation

Portal vein thrombosis was considered to be a major contraindication to liver transplantation before the introduction of vessel grafts from the recipient's area of confluence of the splenic and superior mesenteric veins, behind the neck of the pancreas, to the graft's portal vein. Refinement in surgical technique has given rise to a large number of possibilities to overcome portal vein thrombosis in OLT recipients, ranging from portal vein thrombectomy to several different venous graft jump reconstructions. All these reconstructions require the presence of a patent vein of the portal system. When neither splanchnic veins nor sufficiently large venous collaterals are available, liver transplantation has been considered impossible. Salvage solutions include arterialization of the portal vein with the associated risk of liver damage in the longterm, a combined liver and bowel transplantation has been proposed but not yet reported (and in any case the results of combined liver and bowel transplants are not as good as those of liver transplantation alone) and finally the use of blood inflow from the inferior vena cava as first reported by Tzakis and coworkers. Portal flow from the inferior vena cava may be performed as a last resort. Although the consequences of severe pretransplantation portal hypertension remain and should be treated before, during, and after transplantation, liver function is normal in the short and midterm. With this new procedure, diffuse portal vein thrombosis is no longer an absolute contraindication to liver transplantation. But this needs to be confirmed in light of further experience and longterm followup.

Liver transplantation with cavoportal hemitransposition in the presence of diffuse portal vein thrombosis

BACKGROUND

Orthotopic liver transplantation is possible even in the presence of recipient portal vein thrombosis, provided that hepatopetal portal flow to the graft can be restored. On rare occasions this is not possible due to diffuse thrombosis of the portal venous system. In these cases, successful liver transplantation has been considered impossible. Portocaval transposition was introduced in the pretransplantation era to study the effect of systemic venous flow on the liver and has been used in three patients for the treatment of glycogen storage disease. We used portocaval hemitransposition (portal perfusion with inflow from the inferior vena cava) in liver transplantation when portal inflow to the graft was not feasible. We are reporting the collective experience of nine patients from four liver transplant centers.

METHODS

Cavoportal hemitransposition was used in nine patients. In seven of these cases, the technique was used during the original transplant (primary group). In two cases, it was used after the portal inflow to the first transplant had clotted (secondary group).

RESULTS

Five of seven patients in the primary group are alive after intervals of 6-11 months. The two patients in the rescue group died. In the successful cases, liver function and histology were indistinguishable from those of conventional liver transplantation. Ascites disappeared within 3-4 months and the patients were able to return to their normal activities. Postoperative variceal bleeding necessitated splenectomy and gastric devascularization in one case and splenic artery embolization in another case. Bleeding was controlled in both these cases. Splenectomy and gastric devascularization were performed prophylactically in one patient with a history of variceal bleeding in order to prevent this complication after transplantation.

CONCLUSION

Portocaval hemitransposition maybe useful in liver transplantation when hepatopetal flow to the liver graft cannot be established by other techniques. Rescue after failure of conventional technique was not possible in two patients.

Case report: rupture of a gastric varix in liver cirrhosis associated with glycogen storage disease type III

Glycogen storage disease type III, or Cori's disease, is caused by a deficiency of amylo-1,6-glucosidase (debranching enzyme), which leads to the storage of an abnormal glycogen in the liver and in skeletal and heart muscle. Glycogen storage disease type III is usually characterized by hepatic symptoms, growth failure and myopathy. Even though liver cirrhosis is reported, portal hypertension is a rare complication of this disease. We describe the case of a glycogen storage disease type III patient who was diagnosed at 3 years of age and developed complications (liver cirrhosis and rupture of a gastric varix) at 31 years of age. We discuss the histological progression to cirrhosis of the liver and describe the liver enzyme profile at 3 and 31 years of age.

Current status and outcome of pediatric liver transplantation

In this article the diagnostic indications for hepatic transplantation are addressed in detail. The outcome of liver transplantation is also examined, including the impact of the following factors on survival: age and weight at transplantation, type of liver disease, and size of liver allograft, including living related transplantation. Morbidity and quality of life after transplantation are other aspects reviewed in this chapter.

Phosphorylase b kinase deficiency glycogenosis with cirrhosis of the liver

We describe an Arab girl with complete absence of phosphorylase b kinase activity in the liver, symptomatic hypoglycemia, and persistently elevated serum aminotransferase values whose symptoms did not lessen with age; sequential liver biopsies showed progression to cirrhosis. Cirrhosis could not be ascribed to any other known cause. We conclude that type IX glycogenosis is not always associated with a benign outcome.

Effects of portacaval anastomosis on pancreatic islets of the rat

The pancreatic islets of rats with surgically constructed end-to-side portacaval anastomosis were studied immunocytochemically, morphometrically, and ultrastructurally, and the plasma levels of glucose, insulin, and glucagon determined. The results of the current study show that, four weeks after surgery, hypoglycemia, normal insulinemia, and hyperglucagonemia occur and that these hematologic changes are associated with immunocytochemical and ultrastructural signs of impairment of the secretory activity of islet B cells and normal secretion pattern of the remaining islet cell types. The causes and the meaning of the hematologic and islet cell changes are discussed, and the hypothesis has been drawn that they are primarily related to the functional deterioration of the liver, which follows the diversion of the portal blood in the systemic circulation.

A man with type III glycogenosis associated with cirrhosis and portal hypertension

Type III glycogenosis, an inherited disorder of glycogen metabolism that results from reduced or absent activity of the enzyme amylo-1,6-glycosidase (debranching enzyme), has not been frequently associated with cirrhosis and portal hypertension in adults. An adult Caucasian man with well-document type IIIa glycogenosis, who presented with a variceal hemorrhage secondary to hepatic cirrhosis, is described here. No other cause of cirrhosis was found.

Glycogen storage disease type III with muscle involvement: reappraisal of phenotypic variability and prognosis

A review of the case histories of 19 Japanese patients with enzymatically proven glycogen storage disease (GSD) III who developed muscular symptoms at various ages illustrates the phenotypic variability of this disease. There seem to be 4 subgroups of GSD III with muscle involvement according to the clinical symptoms. The first group of patients is characterized by the childhood onset of muscle weakness and hepatic disorders. The second group of patients develops muscular symptoms in adult years while the liver symptoms start in childhood. The third group includes the patients whose muscle weakness started in adult years long after liver symptoms in childhood had disappeared. The fourth group shows only muscular symptoms as adults without any sign or history of liver dysfunction since childhood. The prognosis for each subgroup seems to be different; however, none of them appears to be better than that for GSD I, as has been suggested previously.

Glycogen debranching enzyme deficiency: long-term study of serum enzyme activities and clinical features

In glycogen storage disease type III (glycogen debranching enzyme (DE) deficiency), the activities of serum alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase and lactate dehydrogenase may be strikingly elevated during childhood but are low during adult life. To determine the pattern of the elevated serum enzyme activities in relationship to diet, the biochemical subtype and clinical symptoms, 13 patients with DE deficiency were studied. Activities of serum aspartate and alanine transaminases, lactate dehydrogenase, and alkaline phosphatase were markedly elevated during infancy. Continued elevation of enzyme activities during childhood appeared to be related to DE deficiency in liver, but unrelated to DE deficiency in muscle. Activity elevations correlated inconsistently with diet and poorly with childhood growth rate or the presence of hypoglycaemia. The serum enzyme activities declined around puberty concomitantly with a decrease in liver size. Although periportal fibrosis and micronodular cirrhosis indicated the presence of hepatocellular damage during childhood, the decline in serum enzyme activities with age and the absence of overt hepatic dysfunction suggest that the fibrotic process may not always progress.

Arrest and reversal of atherosclerosis with parenteral nutrition

In a large subset of patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, all medical and surgical treatment alternatives have been exhausted or have proved to be ineffective. Intravenous infusion of specially formulated amino acid solutions, developed in the animal laboratory, has been efficacious in arresting and reversing atherosclerosis in humans for the first time. It is anticipated that the principles derived from these precise parenteral studies will eventually permit development of oral and enteral dietary formulations effective for the systemic control and management of atherosclerosis.

Definitive prenatal diagnosis for type III glycogen storage disease

Prenatal diagnosis for type III glycogen storage disease was performed by using (1) immunoblot analysis with a polyclonal antibody prepared against purified porcine-muscle debranching enzyme and (2) a qualitative assay for debranching-enzyme activity. Cultured amniotic fluid cells from three pregnancies (three families in which the proband had absence of debrancher protein) were subjected to immunoblot analysis. Two unaffected and one affected fetus were predicted. In addition, cultured amniotic fluid cells from nine pregnancies (eight families) were screened with a qualitative assay based on the persistence of a polysaccharide that has a structure approaching that of a phosphorylase limit dextrin when the cells were exposed to a glucose-free medium. This qualitative assay predicted six unaffected and three affected fetuses. All predictions by either method were confirmed postnatally except for one spontaneously aborted fetus. Our data indicate that a definitive diagnosis of type III glycogen storage disease can be made prenatally by these methods.

Distal splenorenal shunt for portal vein thrombosis after liver transplantation

A 17-yr-old female received a liver transplant for type I glycogen storage disease. A year later, when she experienced variceal gastrointestinal hemorrhage, an angiogram revealed thrombosis of the portal vein with hepatopetal collateral channels. A distal splenorenal shunt was performed because of failure of sclerotherapy to control subsequent bleeding episodes and the fact that the liver function was normal. This patient continues to have normal hepatic function with a patent splenorenal shunt 4 yr after the shunting procedure. This case illustrates the feasibility of a distal splenorenal shunt to alleviate portal hypertension in cases of thrombosis of the portal vein following hepatic transplantation if the liver function is normal.

Rapid growth of an intact human liver transplanted into a recipient larger than the donor

Two individuals undergoing orthotopic hepatic transplantation received livers from donors who were on average 10 kg smaller than themselves based on recipient ideal body weight. As a result, the donor livers in these 2 cases were 29%-59% smaller than would be expected had the donor liver and recipient been matched ideally. The liver grafts in the recipients steadily increased in size, as determined by serial computed tomography scanning, to achieve new volumes consistent with those that would have been expected in a normal individual of the recipient's size, sex, and age. Fasting plasma levels of amino acids, glucagon, insulin, and standard liver injury tests were monitored to determine which measure best reflected the changes observed in the size of the grafts over time. No relationship between the changes observed in any of these parameters and hepatic growth was apparent. In both cases, the liver increased in volume at a rate of approximately 70 ml/day. These data demonstrate that a small-for-size liver transplanted into a larger recipient increases in size at a rate of approximately 70 ml/day until it achieves a liver volume consistent with that expected given the recipient's size, age, and sex.

Regression of atherosclerosis by the intravenous infusion of specific biochemical nutrient substrates in animals and humans

Preliminary studies in 400 New Zealand albino rabbits produced a reliable animal model of nutrient-induced atherosclerosis that simulated that observed in humans. Atherosclerosis was then induced in an additional 1600 rabbits in sets of 40 animals each, maintaining plasma cholesterol concentrations between 1000 and 2000 mg/dL for 6-20 weeks. In each set, 10 control rabbits were killed to document baseline atherosclerosis, and the other 30 rabbits were assigned randomly to one of three groups of 10 rabbits. Groups of 10 rabbits were either continued on the atherogenic diet (group I), given standard laboratory rabbit pellets (group II), or infused continuously with specially formulated anticholesterol solutions via central venous catheters (group III) for 6 weeks. At autopsy, atherosclerotic lesions consistently involved 85-95% of the aorta in group I. In group II, atherosclerosis was comparable with the baseline control group with no regression. In group III, regression of atherosclerosis by 90-95% was consistently documented. Correlations between plasma amino acids and plasma cholesterol concentrations were established in four humans with severe atherosclerosis to maximize the cholesterol reduction capacity of the amino acid formulation. Infusion of the modified total parenteral nutrition solution induced prompt reduction in plasma cholesterol levels by 40-60% regardless of the initial level and was accompanied by evidence of regression of atherosclerosis after a 90-day infusion therapy period.

Evidence that host size determines liver size: studies in dogs receiving orthotopic liver transplants

Orthotopic liver transplantation was performed in two groups of dogs; Group I animals consisted of large dogs that served as recipients of livers obtained from smaller dogs while Group II animals consisted of dogs that received liver from donor dogs of nearly the same size. The small-for-size livers transplanted into the Group I dogs rapidly increased in size over the course of 2 weeks until they achieved a size equal to that originally present in the larger recipient dogs. In contrast, the livers transplanted into dogs of the same size as the donors underwent some degree of atrophy. In both groups of animals, plasma levels of insulin and glucagon and hepatic (graft) activities of thymidine kinase and ornithine decarboxylase were followed serially. The only difference between the two groups of animals for these measures was that the ornithine decarboxylase activity rose to a greater degree in the liver that underwent graft enlargement. These data suggest that recipient size determines, at least in part, liver graft size once it is transplanted. These data also suggest that of the parameters followed, only ornithine decarboxylase activity parallels the finding of growth of the transplanted liver.

Enhanced hepatic adenylate cyclase activity in rats with portacaval shunt

Male Wistar rats were submitted to a portacaval anastomosis (PCA). Control rats were sham operated and pair fed. After 20 days, PCA led to a decrease in liver weight (-40%) and fasting blood glucose (-35%) and to an increase in fasting glucagonemia (+65%). The in vitro response of adenylate cyclase in hepatic membranes to GTP, Gpp(NH)p, fluoride, and forskolin (in the absence of GTP), and to glucagon (in the presence of GTP) was greater in PCA rats than in controls (by 30-54%) whereas the response to L-isoproterenol (in the presence of GTP) was only slightly increased (by 8%) and that to vasoactive intestinal peptide (in the presence of GTP) was similar in both groups of rats. The binding of [125I]glucagon and [125I]VIP to liver membranes did not differ in both groups of animals. It is concluded that the hepatic adenylate cyclase system from PCA rats responded better to stimuli involving efficiently the guanyl nucleotide stimulatory site Ns. This implies that the fasting hypoglycemia observed in these animals, in spite of the hyperglucagonemia, was due to either the refractoriness of a step distal to adenylate cyclase activation or to limited glucose production by an atrophic liver.

The effect of portacaval shunt on hepatic lipoprotein metabolism in familial hypercholesterolemia

The hyperlipidemia observed in familial hypercholesterolemia can be reduced by portacaval anastomosis. We report the effects of a portacaval shunt on hepatic morphology and biosynthetic pathways crucial to hepatic cholesterol homeostasis in homozygous receptor-negative familial hypercholesterolemia. Portacaval anastomosis was associated with a dramatic change in hepatocyte morphology, 28% reduction in plasma low-density lipoprotein concentration, and a decrease in hepatic total and free cholesterol content by 27 and 75%, respectively. Furthermore, the rate-limiting enzyme in cholesterol biosynthesis, 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase was decreased by 56%. Finally, the reduced binding of low-density lipoproteins to hepatic membranes preoperatively was increased following the portacaval shunt. These combined results indicate that the changes in circulating lipoprotein concentrations observed after portacaval shunt are due to alterations in the metabolic consequences of the defective recognition of low-density lipoproteins by the liver of familial hypercholesterolemic subjects.

Pathologic studies of the osteoporosis of Von Gierke's disease (glycogenosis 1a)

Pathologic and point count-morphometric studies of ribs, vertebrae, and iliac crests of 7 patients with Von Gierke's glycogenesis type Ia aged 5 months to 30 years were performed. The bone lesion is a pure osteoporosis (reduction in mass of bone matrix) with no evidences of significant physeal cartilage abnormality or of osteitis fibrosa or osteomalacia (reduced mineralization of bone matrix). The osteoporosis was already marked in the youngest patient studied (5 months). The discrepancy between normal and glycogen storage disease (GSD) bones increased progressively with age for ribs and was less severe for vertebrae. Available biochemical data give no indication of primary disturbance of calcium or phosphate metabolism, of parathyroid activity, or of vitamin D metabolism. Clinical data suggest that the osteoporosis of Von Gierke's disease is due to hypoglycemia or a metabolic sequela thereof, such as insulinopenia, but pathologic study of patients treated by newer techniques of maintaining euglycemia in GSD is needed.

The Eck fistula in animals and humans

In all species so far studied, including man, portacaval shunt causes the same changes in liver morphology, including hepatocyte atrophy, fatty infiltration, deglycogenation, depletion and disorganization of the rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER) and its lining polyribosomes, and variable but less specific damage to other organelles. Many, perhaps all, biosynthetic processes are quickly depressed, largely secondary to the selective damage to the RER, which is the "factory" of the cell. These structural and metabolic changes in the liver after portal diversion are caused by the diversion around the liver of the hepatotrophic substances in portal venous blood, of which endogenous insulin is the most important. In experimental animals, the injury of Eck's fistula can be prevented by infusing insulin into the tied-off hilar portal vein. The subtle but far-reaching changes in hepatic function after portal diversion have made it possible to use this procedure in palliating three inborn errors of metabolism: glycogen storage disease, familial hypercholesterolemia, and alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency. In these three diseases, the abnormalities caused by portal diversion have counteracted abnormalities in the patients that were caused by the inborn errors. In these diseases, amelioration of the inborn errors depends on the completeness of the portal diversion. In contrast, total portal diversion to treat complications of portal hypertension is undesirable and always will degrade hepatic function if a significant amount of hepatopetal portal venous blood is taken from the liver. When total portal diversion is achieved (and this is to be expected after all conventional shunts), the incidence of hepatic failure and hepatic encephalopathy is increased. If portal diversion must be done for the control of variceal hemorrhage, a selective procedure such as the Warren procedure is theoretically superior to the completely diverting shunt. In practice, better patient survival has not been achieved after selective shunts than after conventional shunts, but the incidence of hepatic encephalopathy has been less.

Portacaval shunt in patients with familial hypercholesterolemia

Portacaval shunt was performed in ten patients with homozygous and two with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (FH). Total serum cholesterol was lowered by 20% to 55.4% during follow-up periods of 14 months to almost 9 years, with commensurate decreases in LDL cholesterol. The effect on HDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels was variable. Tendinocutaneous xanthomas diminished or disappeared. Growth and development in children proceeded or accelerated. There was no detectable emotional or intellectual deterioration. Hepatic failure did not occur, although blood ammonia concentrations and serum alkaline phosphatase levels increased relative to preoperative values. Cardiac symptoms were often improved, but evidence of reversal of cardiovascular lesions was inconclusive. Three patients with pre-existing heart disease died of cardiac complications after 4 months, 18 1/2 months, and 30 months. Portacaval shunt has been effective therapy for patients with FH who were refractory or intolerant to medical treatment; it should be performed before the development of irreversible cardiovascular damage.

Reversal of hepatic alpha-1-antitrypsin deposition after portacaval shunt

End-to-side portacaval shunts were carried out in three children with the liver disease of alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency and complications of portal hypertension. Their clinical courses have been stable for 3 1/2 to almost 7 years. Postoperative liver biopsy material from two of the patients showed the typical histopathological changes caused by portal diversion, as well as an apparent reduction in the quantity of alpha-1-antitrypsin particles in the hepatocytes. The metabolic changes caused by portal diversion have apparently created a more favourable equilibrium between the synthesis and excretion of the abnormal alpha-1-antitrypsin.

Morphologic and biochemical changes in dogs after portacaval shunt plus bile fistula or ileal bypass: failure of bile fistula or ileal bypass to prevent hepatocyte atrophy

External biliary fistula (BF) or ileal bypass (IB) was performed in dogs at the time of or 2 weeks after portacaval shunt (PCS). The pathologic changes in the dog livers 2 to 4 weeks later were compared to those caused by PCS alone. Histopathologic differences between PCS alone vs. PCS plus BF or IB could not be found. Thus, the experiments did not confirm recent observations by others in rats that BF prevents or reverses the hepatic injury of PCS. As estimated by plasma mevalonic acid determinations, the increase in hepatic cholesterol synthesis that is characteristic after BF or IB was suppressed in animals with PCS. BF and IB reduced but did not eliminate the postprandial elevation in serum bile acid that occurs after PCS. The findings have possible relevance in planning the treatment of patients with familial hypercholesterolemia with the combined use of PCS and IB.

Liver transplantation for type I glycogen storage disease

A 16½-year-old girl with type I glycogen storage disease was treated by orthotopic liver transplantation under cyclosporin/steroid immunosuppression. All metabolic stigmata of the disease were relieved and 1 year postoperatively she follows a normal diet and lifestyle.