[The 50th anniversary of the first liver transplantation: from myth to reality. Tributes to Thomas Starzl, 2012 Lasker Prize].

Chemical immunosuppression and the reversal of rejection permit to develop kidney transplantation and were incitative to start liver transplantation in 1963. However, the difficulties were many: wrong operative indications, inadequate immunosuppression, difficulty of etiologic diagnosis of jaundice, poor preservation of the graft. Cyclosporine was the key-step of the success.

Role of preoperative optimization of the liver for resection in patients with hilar cholangiocarcinoma type III.

Background: Long-term survival after complete resection of hilar cholangiocarcinoma remains disappointing. The aim of this retrospective study was to assess the impact of liver optimization on postoperative outcome of hilar cholangiocarcinoma type III.

Materials And Methods: In a retrospective, single-center analysis, outcomes in patients with hilar cholangiocarcinoma type III who underwent resection after preoperative liver optimization (preoperative transhepatic biliary drainage [PTBD], bile replacement, and/or portal vein embolization [PVE]) were compared with nonoptimized controls.