Portal vein thrombosis in liver cirrhosis.

Portal vein thrombosis (PVT) is considered to be a frequent complication of liver cirrhosis. However, unlike PVT in patients without cirrhosis, very few data are available on the natural history and management of PVT in cirrhosis, despite its association with potentially life-threatening conditions, such as gastroesophageal bleeding and acute intestinal ischemia. Moreover, no consensus regarding PVT in cirrhosis exists.

Treatment of bleeding rectal varices with transumbilical venous obliteration of the inferior mesenteric vein.

A 56-year-old male with alcohol-induced liver cirrhosis developed rectal varices. He had a prior history of treatment for esophageal varices with endoscopic variceal ligation. Despite the repeated treatment for rectal varices with endoscopic variceal ligation, endoscopic injection sclerotherapy, and surgery, the bleeding from the rectal varices could not be controlled.

Hepatic vein waveform and splenomegaly predict improvement of prothrombin time after splenectomy in hepatitis C virus-related cirrhotic patients.

Aim: Whether hepatic function can recover in cirrhotic patients after splenectomy remains controversial.

Methods: All consecutive Japanese patients with hepatic cirrhosis due to hepatitis C who had undergone elective splenectomy in Kyushu University Hospital between January 2008 and December 2009 were included in this retrospective study. Prothrombin time, serum albumin and total bilirubin concentrations were reviewed before and after splenectomy and analyzed to clarify whether splenectomy improves hepatic function in patients with cirrhosis and to determine the factors predictive of improvement in hepatic function.

Rigid and flexible endoscopic rendezvous in spatium peritonealis may be an effective tactic for laparoscopic megasplenectomy: significant implications for pure natural orifice translumenal endoscopic surgery.

Background: We recently experienced 10 patients with cirrhosis who underwent laparoscopic splenectomy. A portion of these patients underwent dissection with a flexible endoscope in the peritoneal cavity. This pilot study mainly focused on the technical aspects and immediate results.

Prediction of improved liver function after balloon-occluded retrograde transvenous obliteration: relation to hepatic vein pressure gradient.

Background And Aims: Balloon-occluded retrograde transvenous obliteration (B-RTO) is an effective treatment for gastric varices (GVx), as well as hepatic encephalopathy. The aim of this study was to examine the changes of the hepatic vein pressure gradient (HVPG) after B-RTO and determine the relation between the changes of HVPG and liver function.

Patients And Methods: B-RTO was performed in 30 patients with GVx and hepatic encephalopathy.

Liver regeneration is promoted by increasing serotonin content in rat liver with secondary biliary cirrhosis.

Aim:   Liver cirrhosis clinically shows thrombocytopenia and hypersplenism. Although splenectomy is performed to achieve higher platelet count and better hemostasis, the effect of splenectomy for liver cirrhosis remains unclear. The aim of the present study that was focused on serotonin was to investigate the relationship between splenectomy and liver regeneration in rats with secondary biliary cirrhosis.