Antimigration versus conventional fully covered metal stents in the endoscopic treatment of anastomotic biliary strictures after deceased-donor liver transplantation.

Introduction: Migration of fully covered metal stents (FCMS) remains a limitation of the endoscopic treatment of anastomotic biliary strictures (ABS) following orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). The use of antimigration FCMS (A-FCMS) might enhance endoscopic treatment outcomes for ABS.

Methods: Single center retrospective study.

The impact of obesity on postoperative complications and short-term survival after liver transplantation.

Background And Aims: Obesity is considered a risk factor for perioperative complications, but its effect on patients undergoing liver transplantation (LT) remains unclear. This study was conducted to analyze the impact of obesity on early morbidity and mortality risk following LT.

Methods: A multicenter study of outcomes in patients submitted to LT between 2009 and 2019 was conducted.

Postreperfusion Biopsy as a Predictor of Biliary Complication After Deceased Donor Liver Transplantation. A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background: Ischemia reperfusion injury (IRI) on postreperfusion biopsies is associated with worse outcomes after liver transplantation, although the influence on biliary complications (BC) remains poorly studied. Therefore, the primary aim of our study was to assess the influence of IRI on the incidence of BC. A secondary aim was to assess the influence of steatosis on biliary complications and determine factors that predictor BC.

Postreperfusion Liver Biopsy as Predictor of Early Graft Dysfunction and Survival After Orthotopic Liver Transplantation.

Background: Postreperfusion liver biopsy (PRB) can assess the degree of ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI) after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). The influence of IRI on graft outcomes and overall survival is controversial.

Aim: To determine the correlation between the severity of IRI in PRB and overall graft and patient survival and, secondarily, to identify factors on PRB that predict poor graft outcomes.

DRESS syndrome secondary to carbamazepine.

DRESS syndrome is a multisystem disorder that appears in the context of an adverse drug reaction, characterized by fever, rash and peripheral eosinophilia with involvement of other organs such as the liver. The typical liver involvement is acute toxic hepatitis (DILI), showing improvement and a tendency to resolution when corticotherapy is started. We must not forget this manifestation in the clinical context of a DRESS syndrome.

Acute liver failure due to anti-tuberculous treatment: when you travel without medical follow-up.

We present an uncommon cause of liver transplant in a patient with a particular personal situation, who suffered loss of follow-up during his antitubercular treatment. He presented a dress syndrome with fulminant liver failure that required a liver transplant. This case demonstrates the importance of close monitoring of liver function during this treatment.

Cecal ameboma and a liver abscess mimicking metastatic colonic cancer. An autochthonous infectious disease in Spain?

We present the case of 52 years-old male without any recent travel. He was admitted to our department for a history of fever and abdominal pain. A CT scan showed a cecal thickening and liver mass with suspected cecal carcinoma with infected necrotic liver metastasis.

XI factor deficiency as cause of recurrent gastrointestinal bleeding.

We present the case of a 73-year-old woman with no relevant medical history. She was admitted for a 3-month intermittent melena. The physical exam was unremarkable.

COVID-19 and Short- and Medium-term Outcomes in Liver Transplant Patients: A Spanish Single-center Case Series.

Background & Aims: The evidence suggests that most vulnerable subjects to COVID-19 infection suffer from patients with comorbidities or immunosuppression, including liver transplant recipients. Liver graft dysfunction may be a rare complication. Some patients complain about the post-COVID-19 syndrome.

Long-term clinical outcome and survival predictors in patients with cirrhosis after 10-mm-covered transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt.

Background And Aims: Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunts (TIPS) are successfully used in the management of portal hypertension (PH)-related complications. Debate surrounds the diameter of the dilation. The aim was to analyse the outcomes of and complications deriving from TIPS in patients with cirrhosis and identify predictors of survival.

Epidemiological pattern, incidence, and outcomes of COVID-19 in liver transplant patients.

Background & Aims: The incidence and outcomes of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in immunocompromised patients are a matter of debate.

Methods: We performed a prospective nationwide study including a consecutive cohort of liver transplant patients with COVID-19 recruited during the Spanish outbreak from 28 February to 7 April, 2020. The primary outcome was severe COVID-19, defined as the need for mechanical ventilation, intensive care, and/or death.

Utility of Ethyl-Glucuronide for Evaluation of Abstinence in Patients Presenting for Liver Transplantation.

Background: Cirrhosis as a result of alcohol-related liver disease is one of the most common indications for liver transplantation (LT) in Spain. Patients presenting for LT should be checked for alcohol abuse in clinical interviews and use of laboratory tests to confirm abstinence. The ethyl-glucuronide (EtG) test is very sensitive and can be positive in urine up to 5 days after consumption.

De-novo nonalcoholic fatty liver disease at 5 years after liver transplantation: prevalence and predictive factors.

Background And Aims: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a long-term complication after liver transplantation. Our aims were to determine de-novo-NAFLD at 5-year post-liver transplantation and identify predictive risk factors.

Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of de-novo-NAFLD at 5-year post-liver transplantation.

Immunosuppressive Treatment With mTOR Inhibitors for Malignancies After Liver Transplantation: Long-Term Survival Retrospective Analysis.

Background: Immunosuppressive calcineurin inhibitors have been associated with an increased risk of post-transplant malignancies. The mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitors (mTORi) is an alternative immunosuppressive regimen with an antineoplastic effect. The aim of the study was to determine the long-term survival of mTORi-treated recipients with de novo or recurring tumors after liver transplantation (LT).

Hemophagocytic Syndrome as Uncommon Cause of Severe Pancytopenia After Liver Transplantation.

A rare but life-threatening cause of pancytopenia after liver transplantation is hemophagocytic syndrome. We present a 48-year-old woman who underwent liver transplantation and developed a hemophagocytic syndrome secondary to Epstein-Barr virus with a fatal course, despite initial treatment with immunosuppressants. The diagnosis was made based on the bone marrow aspiration, in which macrophages with phagocytic activity were observed, and clinical findings.

Efficacy of Direct-acting Antivirals to Improve Clinical Condition, Fibrosis, and Liver Function in Liver Transplant Recipients Infected by Hepatitis C.

Background: Direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) have revolutionized the treatment of hepatitis C, including transplant recipients with an advanced fibrosis stage. Our aim in this study was to assess the clinical and functional benefits and improvement in liver fibrosis after treatment with DAAs in liver transplant recipients with chronic hepatitis C virus who achieved sustained virologic response (SVR).

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 42 patients who underwent liver transplantation (LT) at our institution and were treated with DAAs from June 2014 to December 2015.

Utility of Oral Anticoagulants as Prophylaxis of Recurrent Portal Thrombosis after Liver Transplantation.

Introduction: Portal vein thrombosis (PVT) is a relatively common finding in patients undergoing liver transplantation. Although the recommendation to prevent its recurrence is anticoagulation for a duration of 3 to 6 months, this is controversial.

Aim: The aim of our study was to determine the efficacy of oral anticoagulants (OAC) as prophylaxis for recurrent PVT after liver transplantation.

Metabolic Syndrome After Liver Transplantation: Five-Year Prevalence and Risk Factors.

Survival after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) has increased over the last decades, focusing on the metabolic complications that contribute to patient morbidity and mortality. The aim of our study was to describe the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MS), its components, and its associated factors in patients who underwent OLT in a hospital in Spain. From November 2001 to January 2014, we performed 415 transplantations in 386 patients.

Review of imaging techniques in the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma in patients who require a liver transplant.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to retrospectively compare the diagnostic performance of ultrasound (US), contrast-enhanced multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) and contrast-enhanced MRI in cirrhotic patients who were candidates for liver transplantation.

Materials And Methods: A total of 273 consecutive patients with 218 hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) nodules, who underwent imaging and subsequent transplantation, were examined. Diagnosis of HCC was based on explant correlation of the whole liver.

Evidence of Active Pro-Fibrotic Response in Blood of Patients with Cirrhosis.

The role of systemic immunity in the pathogenesis of cirrhosis is not fully understood. Analysis of transcriptomic profiles in blood is an easy approach to obtain a wide picture of immune response at the systemic level. We studied gene expression profiles in blood from thirty cirrhotic patients and compared them against those of eight healthy volunteers.