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Recurrent hepatitis C infection is an important cause of progressive fibrosis, cirrhosis and graft loss after liver transplantation. Treatment for post-transplant recurrence results in sustained virological response (SVR) in up to 30% of cases. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of SVR on patients and graft survival. Thirty-four patients with an SVR to IFN-ribavirin were included. Forty-six nonresponders to the combination formed the control group. Follow-up data were recorded every 6 months and included HCV RNA, and the occurrence of clinical problems (cirrhosis, decompensation, hepatocellular carcinoma, death). A graft biopsy was performed every year. The mean follow-up duration was 52 months in responders and 57 months in nonresponders. Two patients died in each group of patients. Two patients with SVR developed late virological relapse. Fibrosis decreased in 38% of patients with SVR, remained stable in 44% and worsened in 18%. In contrast, fibrosis increased in the majority of nonresponder patients (74%, p < 0.001). At the end of follow-up, no patient without cirrhosis at inclusion developed cirrhosis of the graft versus 9 among nonresponder patients (p = 0.009). No difference in patient survival was observed in the two groups. In conclusion, this study shows that HCV eradication has a positive impact on graft survival.

Purpose The purpose of this work was to evaluate the detection and characterization of nodules > or = 8 mm and small hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) in liver cirrhosis. Method Pathologic examination and results of US, helical CT, and dynamic MRI with gadolinium were compared after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) of 43 cirrhotic patients. Nodules were classified as macroregenerative nodules (MRNs), borderline nodules (BNs), and HCC. Results Pathologic examination classified 69 nodules: 50 MRNs, 6 BNs, and 13 HCCs. Sensitivities of MRN, BN, and HCC detection were, respectively, for US imaging 2% (1/50), 33.3% (2/6), and 46.2% (6/13); for helical CT 2% (1/50), 50% (3/6), and 53.8% (7/13); and for MRI 42% (21/50), 50% (3/6), and 76.9% (10/13). MRI detected 21 MRNs. They presented on T1/T2-weighted images as hyperintense/hypointense (n = 8), hyperintense/isointense (n = 7), hypointense/hypointense (n = 4), hypointense/isointense (n = 1), and hypointense depicted only on echo planar imaging (n = 1). The three detected BNs were hyperintense/hypointense nodules. The 10 detected HCCs appeared hyperintense/isointense (n = 7), hyperintense/hypointense (n = 2), and hypointense/isointense (n = 1). None of the MRNs but eight HCCs and one BN were enhanced after gadolinium injection. Conclusion Contrast-enhanced MRI is the most sensitive technique for detecting liver nodules. No MR signal intensity pattern characteristic of small HCCs enables differentiation from benign nodules, however. Gadolinium enhancement is the most sensitive and specific characteristic of HCC.

Background The most dramatic complication of portal hypertension in cirrhotic patients is oesophageal variceal bleeding. Moreover, patients with bleeding unresponsive to medical and endoscopic treatment have a poor prognosis. Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of early transjugular intra-hepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) in patients with refractory variceal bleeding. Patients and methods TIPS was performed for 28 patients (17 were stage Child C), successfully in 26. Variceal bleeding was controlled in all but one successfully stented patient. Results There was no mortality associated with the procedure. The two patients with a failure of TIPS insertion died of persistent bleeding in the first 48 h after failed TIPS. The 40-day mortality rate was 25%. Five patients died (one from persistent bleeding from gastric varices and four from multi-organ failure). Using multivariate analysis, the only independent factor associated with early mortality was the total bilirubin value. Fifteen surviving patients were listed for liver transplantation: four deaths occurred, eight patients were transplanted in the 6 months after TIPS and three are still waiting. Among the six patients who survived but were ineligible for transplantation, two died and four are still alive. Two episodes of early rebleeding and eight of late rebleeding occurred. Actuarial survival was 75% at one year and 52% at two years. Conclusions Early TIPS is an effective rescue therapy for controlling refractory variceal bleeding.

BACKGROUND—The significance of immunoglobulin (Ig) M antibody to hepatitis C virus (HCV) core antigen was studied in 60 patients with HCV infection after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) diagnosed by polymerase chain reaction. METHODS—Patients were followed up for a mean of 28 months after transplantation. Sera collected three months before transplantation, and one and 12 months after transplantation were analysed for anti-HCV core IgM (HCV-IgM EIA 2.0 assay). After OLT protocol biopsies, procedures were performed routinely every six months. Semiquantitative histopathological assessment of allograft hepatitis was performed using Knodell's score. The results were correlated with clinical features, liver histology findings, and virological features, such as genotype and viraemic levels assessed by a branched DNA assay. RESULTS—One year after liver transplantation, 29/60 (48%) patients had chronic hepatitis on graft biopsy. The presence of anti-HCV core IgM one month (p=0.004) and 12 months (p=0.003) after OLT was positively correlated with recurrence of chronic hepatitis. The positive predictive value of anti-HCV core IgM detected one month after transplantation was 0.88. A significant relationship was observed between severity of graft disease and presence of anti-HCV core IgM 12 months after transplantation. The mean Knodell score was 8.9 in anti-HCV core IgM positive patients compared with 3.6 in those who were anti-HCV core IgM negative (p=0.001). The presence of IgM anti-HCV did not correlate with serum HCV RNA level or HCV genotype. CONCLUSION—We confirm that the presence of anti-HCV core IgM after OLT is a marker of HCV induced graft damage. The recurrence and severity of HCV hepatitis in patients undergoing OLT for HCV cirrhosis is related to the presence of anti-HCV core IgM after liver transplantation. These findings have diagnostic relevance and confirm that measurement of IgM anti-HCV core may help to better monitor the treatment of HCV recurrence after transplantation. Keywords: hepatitis C; orthotopic liver transplantation; anti-HCV core IgM; immunopathogenesis

Hepatic artery thrombosis after liver transplantation remains a major problem which may lead to graft loss and retransplantation. Hepatic artery diseases were compared in two matched groups of liver grafted patients. In Group I (67 patients), echodoppler examinations of the graft hepatic artery were carried out after clinical or biological abnormalities became evident. In Group II (85 patients), echodoppler examinations were systematically made during the follow-up at 2 weeks, 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after liver transplantation. In cases of an abnormal echodoppler examination, arteriography was carried out in order to confirm hepatic artery stenosis and to perform endoluminal angioplasty. In Group I, echodoppler examinations revealed no arterial blood flow in three cases and reduction of hepatic blood flow in two cases. Hepatic artery thromboses were always confirmed by angiography, in the latter two cases, a collateral arterial revascularization of the graft was developed. In this group, two retransplantations, one choledocojejunostomy, and four percutaneous radiological biliary drainages were necessary. In Group II, echodoppler results showing a resistive index below 0.5 and a systolic acceleration time above 0.08 s involved 13 arteriographies. Ten stenoses were diagnosed without any biological abnormalities. Nine endoluminal angioplasties were made without any complication. There was no recurrence of stenosis. One pseudoaneurysm of the femoral artery was cured by compression. The early and non-aggressive detection of hepatic artery stenoses after liver transplantation by echodoppler allows treatment by angioplasty in order to prevent hepatic artery thrombosis and reduce retransplantation.

Recurrent hepatitis C virus (HCV) in liver transplant patients is a major cause of graft loss, liver failure, and need for retransplantation. The results available to date with the use of interferon alfa (IFN-alpha) in the treatment of recurrent HCV in liver transplant patients have been disappointing. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and clinical utility of post-transplant combination therapy with IFNalpha2b (3 million units 3 times weekly) and oral ribavirin (1,200 mg/d) for a duration of 6 months, followed by maintenance with ribavirin alone for an additional 6 months. Twenty-one liver transplant recipients with recurrent hepatitis C infection (HCV-RNA-positive; active hepatitis without rejection on biopsy) were enrolled in this study. Pretreatment serum alanine transaminase (ALT) levels were at least two times the upper limit of normal. Before treatment, all patients were HCV-RNA-positive and mean HCV-RNA titers were 125 million genome-equivalents/mL. Mean pretreatment histological score was 6.3 +/- 2. After 6 months of combination therapy, all 21 patients had normal ALTs. Ten patients (48%) cleared HCV-RNA from their serum, as assessed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and HCV-RNA levels decreased significantly in the others (P = .0001). Improvement in histological score was seen in all patients after combination therapy (P = .0013). During maintenance ribavirin monotherapy, ALT remained normal in all but 1 of the 18 patients who tolerated therapy. HCV-RNA reappeared in 5 patients, but HCV-RNA levels did not return to pretreatment levels (P = .0004). Comparison of pretreatment and postribavirin monotherapy liver biopsies revealed improvement in all but 1 of the 18 patients who tolerated ribavirin (P = .0002). Side effects were restricted to anemia, which necessitated cessation of ribavirin therapy in 3 patients. No patient experienced graft rejection during the study period. These results are significantly better than those reported with IFN-alpha monotherapy. Most importantly, there was a complete absence of graft rejection. These results suggest that the combination of IFN-alpha and ribavirin is effective in reducing HCV-RNA levels and ameliorating hepatocellular injury in recurrent HCV after liver transplantation, and that maintenance therapy with ribavirin monotherapy can maintain the biochemical and histological response.

We observed life-threatening intrapulmonary hemorrhages and focal proliferative glomerulonephritis in a 41-yr-old woman with primary biliary cirrhosis. The severity of the symptoms necessitated blood transfusions and mechanical ventilation; the patient improved with the help of corticosteroid therapy. No formal evidence of either Goodpasture's syndrome or any other well-defined systemic vasculitis could be found. Neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies were initially positive and became undetectable after 3 mo of immunosuppressive treatment without relapse. This association has not been described previously and may be added to the list of extrahepatic immune-mediated conditions associated with primary biliary cirrhosis.

Background & Aims: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) reinfection after liver transplantation is frequent and leads to chronic hepatitis and cirrhosis. The use of antiviral therapy in this situation remains controversial. This study aimed to assess the safety and efficacy of interferon alfa-2b plus ribavirin for recurrent hepatitis C following liver transplantation. Methods: Transplant recipients with recurrent chronic hepatitis C were randomized to receive either no treatment or therapy with interferon alfa-2b (3 MU 3 times a week) plus 1000–1200 mg/day ribavirin for 1 year. Patients were followed up for 6 months after the end of treatment. The primary end point was loss of HCV RNA 6 months after the end of treatment. Results: Fifty-two patients were randomized (treatment, 28; placebo, 24). Sixteen patients were withdrawn from the study; 12 (43%) were from the treated group (mainly for anemia [7 patients]) and 4 (17%) from the control group. In the treated group, serum HCV RNA was undetectable in 9 patients (32%) at the end of treatment and 6 (21.4%) at the end of the follow-up period, whereas no patient in the control group lost HCV RNA at any point ( P = 0.036 at the end of follow-up). However, there was no significant histologic improvement. Conclusions: The combination of interferon alfa-2b plus ribavirin induced a sustained virologic response in 21% of transplant recipients with recurrent hepatitis C. However, 43% discontinued therapy due to adverse events (primarily severe anemia). Strategies to enable treatment with lower doses of ribavirin need to be explored. GASTROENTEROLOGY 2003;124:642-650

Hepatitis G virus (HGV), a new RNA virus that is parenterally transmitted, has frequently been found in patients with chronic hepatitis C (HCV) infection but its role in chronic liver disease is unknown. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of HGV infection in transplantation patients infected with hepatitis C and to assess the impact of HGV co-infection on the course of HCV infection after liver transplantation.Eighty-nine liver transplantation recipients with persistent hepatitis C viremia detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were evaluated. Serum samples were tested before and after liver transplantation for HGV RNA by two different PCR methods: LC assay (Abbott Laboratories) and an RT-PCR procedure which we developed using the silica gel technique for extraction of the HGV RNA. E2 antibodies were detected before orthotopic liver transplantation by an EIA-test. HCV RNA was quantified by branched DNA assay, and HCV genotype was determined. A mean of nine liver biopsy specimens were examined for each patient and the severity of the lesions was compared in HCV-positive patients with or without HGV co-infection.The concordance between the two HGV RNA detection methods was excellent and the reproducibility of our RT-PCR procedure was confirmed. The prevalence of pretransplantation and posttransplantation HGV infection was 11% and 19%, respectively. Pretransplantation HGV infection was positively correlated with posttransplantation HGV infection (p0.001). Before transplantation the E2 antibodies seroprevalence was 34%. Seven patients became HGV RNA positive after transplantation, but all of them were negative for E2 antibodies. Among the patients who remained RNA negative after liver transplantation, 40% were positive for E2 antibodies (p=0.04). Pretransplantation clinical features (except AST mean value) were not different in patients with HCV and HGV co-infection and those with HCV only. After a mean follow-up of 34 months (range: 6 to 70), 67/89 (75%) patients developed histological features of recurrent hepatitis but the frequency of the occurrence of graft hepatitis was not different between HGV/HCV co-infected patients and those with HCV alone (p=0.89). The mean interval from orthotopic liver transplantation to recurrence was 12.2 months (range: 3-63), which was not different for HVG/HVC-co-infected patients and HCV-infected patients. The histological severity of posttransplantation liver disease, and the graft and patient survival were not different for patients with and without HGV co-infection.Our results suggest the general persistence of HGV infection after liver transplantation, but HGV co-infection did not appear to influence the posttransplantation course of HCV infection. Before transplantation the prevalence of E2 antibodies was 34%, and our data clearly indicate that E2 antibodies were protective against HGV infection.

Background/Aims: This study aimed to assess the tolerance and the real sensitivity of Lipiodol-computed tomography in the detection of small hepatocellular carcinoma by comparison with pathological examination of the explanted livers. Methods: Seventy-two patients with cirrhosis (Child A=8, B=36, C=28) awaiting orthotopic liver transplantation underwent Lipiodol-computed tomography to determine the presence, number and location of possible hepatocellular carcinoma nodules. Before liver transplantation six patients had a presumed single hepatocellular carcinoma diagnosed by biopsy. Liver transplantation was performed a mean of 6 months after Lipiodol-computed tomography. Explanted livers were sectioned at 0.8- to 1-cm intervals. Lipiodol-computed tomography staging and pathologic findings were compared. Results: Pathologic studies showed 24 hepatocellular carcinoma nodules (diameter, 2–42 mm) not diagnosed before liver transplantation in 14 of the 72 livers. Lipiodol-computed tomography detected 6 of these 24 nodules, but none of the daughter lesions ( n =9) in the six patients with a presumed single hepatocellular carcinoma. Lesion-by-lesion analysis revealed a sensitivity of 37%. Lipiodol-computed tomography falsely detected three additional nodules not confirmed by pathologic examination (1 haemangioma, 2 nondysplastic regenerating nodules). One Child C patient developed variceal bleeding within 2 days after injection of Lipiodol. Conclusions: Tolerance of this procedure was satisfactory, even in Child C patients. Lipiodol-computed tomography has a low sensitivity in the detection of small hapatocellular carcinoma. These results must be considered when liver resection or liver transplantation is proposed for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Contrast transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) is currently used to identify intrapulmonary shunt (IPS) in patients with end-stage liver disease. The aim of this study was to compare the use of contrast TTE and transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) in detecting IPS.Thirty-seven consecutive outpatients with severe liver disease awaiting liver transplantation underwent contrast TEE and TTE. The IPS was assessed semiquantitatively in four grades with TEE and as positive or negative with TTE.ICU.Patients underwent contrast TEE after pharyngeal anesthesia alone followed by contrast TTE. Contrast echocardiography was performed with a modified fluid gelatin solution.Overall detection rate of an IPS was 51% with TEE and 32% with TTE (p0.001). Four patients had an IPS detected with TEE but not with TTE. Quality of imaging was poor in 22% with TTE and 0% with TEE (p0.001). A PaO280 mm Hg or a dyspnea was associated with an IPS in 56% and 50% of patients with TEE and in 33% and 25% with TTE, respectively.Contrast-enhanced TEE is superior to TTE for detecting an IPS in patients with severe liver disease awaiting liver transplantation. The use of gelatin contrast solution allows an early detection of IPS. Because of the high sensitivity of TEE, all patients suspected of hepatopulmonary syndrome should undergo TEE in search of an IPS if TTE is normal.

From January 1990 to May 1996, 148 male and 99 female patients had 265 liver transplantation (LTx) and 18 (6.7%) retransplantations. The mean age was 46.6 years. A cyclosporine-based immunosuppression was used. Ninety-four patients (38%) had 116 episodes of rejection. Thirty-seven of 86 patients treated by steroid bolus were steroid resistant, requiring orthoclone therapy. In eight (3.2%) other patients, orthoclone was used without previous steroid bolus. In 14 cases (6%), refractory rejection required rescue FK506 therapy. There were seven men and seven women with a mean age of 38 years (from 14 to 56). Indications for LTx were alcoholic cirrhosis (N 5 4), post-VHC cirrhosis (N 5 2), post-VHB cirrhosis (N 5 2), fulminant liver failure (N 5 3), giant liver hemangioma (N 5 1), hemochromatosis (N 5 1), and liver metastasis of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumour (N 5 1). Rescue FK506 was done for nine patients after failure of steroid bolus and orthoclone therapy, for three patients after failure of orthoclone therapy without previous steroid bolus, and for two patients after failure of steroid bolus without orthoclone therapy. Only oral formulation of FK506 was used in association with steroids and azathioprine. There were six cases of early chronic rejection (less than 50% of bile duct loss), each had a mean of three rejection episodes, 1.8 steroid bolus therapy, and 1.4 orthoclone therapy. Eight cases of acute rejection (four early rejection , 30 days post-LTx, and four late acute rejection . 1 month post-LTx) each had a mean of two rejection episodes, 1.5 steroid bolus therapy and 1.5 orthoclone therapy.