Anesthesia management for total robotic liver transplantation: Inaugural case series in Europe.

Robotic liver transplantation represents a cutting-edge technique that may surpass traditional open surgery. Nonetheless, it introduces unique anesthetic challenges, including extended pneumoperitoneum, restricted patient access, and a risk of undetected blood loss. This article describes an anesthetic approach and patient outcomes for the first four total robotic liver transplants performed at a tertiary university hospital in Portugal, along with inaugural procedures of their kind in Europe.

Full Robotic Whole Graft Liver Transplantation: A Step Into The Future.

Objective: To report the first European series of full robotic whole liver transplantation (RLT) with technical details and future perspectives.

Background: Few cases of liver transplantation with a minimally invasive approach using partial grafts have been reported so far, and no cases of robotic whole liver transplantation have been reported in the scientific literature.

Methods: The adopted technique was full robotic liver hepatectomy, followed by robotic implantation after graft introduction through a small midline incision.

Vena cava replacement and major hepatectomy for liver tumors: international multicenter retrospective cohort study.

Introduction: Involvement of the inferior vena cava (IVC) and hepatic veins has been considered a relative contraindication to hepatic resection for primary and metastatic liver tumors. However, patients affected by tumors extending to the IVC have limited therapeutic options and suffer worsening of quality of life due to IVC compression.

Methods: Cases of primary and metastatic liver tumors with vena cava infiltration from 10 international centers were collected (7 European, 1 US, 2 Brazilian, 1 Indian) were collected.

Analytical validation and algorithm improvement of HepatoPredict kit to assess hepatocellular carcinoma prognosis before a liver transplantation.

Objectives: To verify the analytical performance of the HepatoPredict kit, a novel tool developed to stratify Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) patients according to their risk of relapse after a Liver Transplantation (LT).

Methods: The HepatoPredict tool combines clinical variables and a gene expression signature in an ensemble of machine-learning algorithms to forecast the benefit of a LT in HCC patients. To ensure the accuracy and reliability of this method, extensive analytical validation was conducted to verify its specificity and robustness.

Liver cirrhosis requiring transplantation in the context of hepaticojejunostomy stricture after a traumatic bile duct injury.

Biliary injury secondary to trauma is frequently associated with long-term complications. Liver transplantation is rarely indicated but might be the best therapeutic option in severe or intractable cases. We report the case of a 19-year-old male referred for liver transplantation due to biliary injury after abdominal trauma.

Impact of the 3rd Edition of the Bethesda System for Reporting Thyroid Cytopathology on Grey Zone Categories.

Introduction: Thyroid Bethesda Reporting System is a six-tiered system that aims to bring uniformity in reporting thyroid cytology and improve the communication with clinicians. The system has achieved its goal as a presurgical diagnostic method; however, it remains a screening method in the grey zone categories, namely atypia of undetermined significance (AUS) and follicular neoplasm (FN). The book recently released the 3rd edition, following the recent changes in thyroid pathology.

Alcohol Consumption Post-Liver Transplantation: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Listing patients with alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) for liver transplant (LT) remains challenging especially due to the risk of alcohol resumption post-LT. We aimed to evaluate post-LT alcohol consumption at a Portuguese transplant center.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study including LT recipients from 2019 at Curry Cabral Hospital, Lisbon, Portugal.

Delayed presentation of isolated grade III pancreatic injury-a case report.

Because of their vague and subtle indications and symptoms, pancreatic injuries are frequently misdiagnosed. It's crucial to have a high level of clinical suspicion. The presence of other organ solid lesions and vascular injuries, as well as the patient's hemodynamic condition, will determine how these injuries are treated.

Surgical Education.

This paper summarizes the proceedings of the joint European Surgical Association ESA/American Surgical Association symposium on Surgical Education that took place in Bordeaux, France, as part of the celebrations for 30 years of ESA scientific meetings. Three presentations on the use of quantitative metrics to understand technical decisions, coaching during training and beyond, and entrustable professional activities were presented by American Surgical Association members and discussed by ESA members in a symposium attended by members of both associations.

Proteomics-Driven Biomarkers in Pancreatic Cancer.

Pancreatic cancer is a devastating disease that has a grim prognosis, highlighting the need for improved screening, diagnosis, and treatment strategies. Currently, the sole biomarker for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) authorized by the U.S.

Pancreas Rejection in the Artificial Intelligence Era: New Tool for Signal Patients at Risk.

Introduction: Pancreas transplantation is currently the only treatment that can re-establish normal endocrine pancreatic function. Despite all efforts, pancreas allograft survival and rejection remain major clinical problems. The purpose of this study was to identify features that could signal patients at risk of pancreas allograft rejection.

Novel Benchmark Values for Open Major Anatomic Liver Resection in Non-cirrhotic Patients: A Multicentric Study of 44 International Expert Centers.

Objective: This study aims at establishing benchmark values for best achievable outcomes following open major anatomic hepatectomy for liver tumors of all dignities.

Background: Outcomes after open major hepatectomies vary widely lacking reference values for comparisons among centers, indications, types of resections, and minimally invasive procedures.

Methods: A standard benchmark methodology was used covering consecutive patients, who underwent open major anatomic hepatectomy from 44 high-volume liver centers from 5 continents over a 5-year period (2016-2020).

Prediction of pathological response after neoadjuvant chemotherapy using baseline FDG PET heterogeneity features in breast cancer.

Complete pathological response to neoadjuvant systemic treatment (NAST) in some subtypes of breast cancer (BC) has been used as a surrogate of long-term outcome. The possibility of predicting BC pathological response to NAST based on the baseline 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG PET), without the need of an interim study, is a focus of recent discussion. This review summarises the characteristics and results of the available studies regarding the potential impact of heterogeneity features of the primary tumour burden on baseline FDG PET in predicting pathological response to NAST in BC patients.

A Gene Expression Signature to Select Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients for Liver Transplantation.

Objective: To propose a new decision algorithm combining biomarkers measured in a tumor biopsy with clinical variables, to predict recurrence after liver transplantation (LT).

Background: Liver cancer is one of the most frequent causes of cancer-related mortality. LT is the best treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients but the scarcity of organs makes patient selection a critical step.

BestFLR Trial: Liver Regeneration at CT before Major Hepatectomies for Liver Cancer-A Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing Portal Vein Embolization with -Butyl-Cyanoacrylate Plus Iodized Oil versus Polyvinyl Alcohol Particles Plus Coils.

Background In patients with liver cancer, portal vein embolization (PVE) is recommended to promote liver growth before major hepatectomies. However, the optimal embolization strategy has not been established. Purpose To compare liver regeneration as seen at CT in participants with liver cancer, before major hepatectomies, with -butyl-cyanoacrylate (NBCA) plus iodized oil versus standard polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) particles plus coils, for PVE.

Fibrolamellar Carcinoma: A Multimodal Approach.

Fibrolamellar carcinoma is a rare variant of hepatocellular carcinoma not associated with cirrhosis or viral hepatitis. Serum alpha-fetoprotein levels are usually normal; the histology is of a well-differentiated tumor, and the staging is the same as for hepatocellular carcinoma. We describe the case of a female patient in her 4th decade of life with a diagnosis of fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma with a multimodal approach.

Choices of Therapeutic Strategies for Colorectal Liver Metastases Among Expert Liver Surgeons: A Throw of the Dice?

Objective: To test the degree of agreement in selecting therapeutic options for patients suffering from colorectal liver metastasis (CRLM) among surgical experts around the globe.

Summary/background: Only few areas in medicine have seen so many novel therapeutic options over the past decades as for liver tumors. Significant variations may therefore exist regarding the choices of treatment, even among experts, which may confuse both the medical community and patients.

Emerging biomarkers in HCC patients: Current status.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the liver's most common primary malignancy, with over half a million new cases diagnosed each year and being the fourth leading cause of cancer death, worldwide. The poor prognosis of HCC is largely related to late diagnosis. Historically, serum alpha-fetoprotein and diagnostic imaging have been primary diagnostic modalities.

Current update in domino liver transplantation.

Orthotopic liver transplantation is an established treatment for end stage liver diseases as well as for some severe metabolic disorders. With increasing number of patients on the waiting list and the ongoing shortage of livers available, domino liver transplantation (DLT) became an option to further expand the organ donor pool. DLT utilizes the explanted liver of one liver transplant recipient as a donor graft in another patient.

Abernethy malformation and hepatocellular carcinoma: a serious consequence of a rare disease.

Congenital portosystemic shunts (CPSS) are a rare vascular consequence of embryogenetic vascular alterations or the persistence of the fetal circulation elements, first described by John Abernethy in 1793 and classified by Morgan and Superina, into complete and partial portosystemic shunts. Its prevalence to this day has not been defined. We present a patient series of a 44-year-old and 47-year-old man and woman, with this rare congenital malformation and underlining hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treatment strategies.

Rare giant: mature cystic teratoma in the liver.

Teratomas are rare pluripotent embryonic tumours occurring mostly in gonadal organs and pediatric age groups. Mature cystic teratoma in the liver are rare, and to the best of our knowledge, only a dozen cases in adults have been published in the literature. We present a 27-year-old female who had a history of loss of appetite and mild abdominal distention.

Procedural Surgical RCTs in Daily Practice: Do Surgeons Adopt Or Is It Just a Waste of Time?

Objective: To assess the adoption of recommendation from randomized clinical trials (RCTs) and investigate factors favoring or preventing adoption.

Background: RCT are considered to be the cornerstone of evidence-based medicine by representing the highest level of evidence. As such, we expect RCT's recommendations to be followed rigorously in daily surgical practice.