Laparoscopic vs. open surgery for treating benign liver lesions: assessing quality of life in the first year after surgery.

Laparoscopic liver surgery has not yet gained widespread acceptance among liver surgeons. Some questions remain regarding indications to surgery and health related quality of life (HRQOL) after surgery, especially for the treatment of benign lesions, has so far not yet been investigated. The aim of this study is to evaluate HRQOL at 1 month, 6 months and 1 year after surgery in two groups of patients undergoing liver resections for benign liver lesions either by laparoscopic or open surgery.

Laparoscopic splenectomy: experience of a single center in a series of 300 cases.

Background: Laparoscopic splenectomy (LS) has gradually become the technique of choice for surgical removal of the spleen. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of LS in a large cohort of patients from a single center.

Methods: From March 1992 to June 2010, 300 patients underwent LS at our hospital for predominantly hematologic disorders.

Hepatitis B prophylaxis in hepatitis B-negative recipients transplanted with donor grafts positive for hepatitis B core antibodies.

Background And Aims: Use of grafts from hepatitis B (HBV) core antibody (HBcAb(+)) individuals is a routine transplant practice. Herein, we have reported the results of 20 HBV-negative patients transplanted with a HBcAb-positive liver grafts in order to access the efficacy of HBV prophylaxis using immunoglobulin (IE) and antiviral drugs.

Methods: From January 2004 to December 2009, we performed 168 liver transplantations including 38 HBcAb-positive grafts (22.

The marginal donor: a single-center experience in orthotopic liver transplantation.

The use of marginal donors has become more common worldwide due to the sharp increase in recipients with a consequent shortage of suitable organs. The definition of "marginal donor" has not been reached by all centers. We herein analyzed our single-center experience over the last 3 years in liver transplantation (OLT) to evaluate the outcomes of using a high percentage of so-called "marginal donors", according to the current classification from the National (Italian) Center of Transplantation (CNT).

[Upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage of unusual etiology: clinical case and technical note].

The Authors report a case of upper digestive tract haemorrhage at atypical side, the diagnosis being often difficult as well as therapeutical options, particularly referent to the surgical solutions adopted.