Supporting liver transplantation by clinical pathway intelligence.

A reproducible and transparent quality of clinical treatments plays an important role in the performance of a hospital. In liver transplantation (LT), this is particularly important for patient safety, resource planning, documentation, and quality management. Thus, the clinical pathway for LT was documented in an electronic format within our research project PIGE.

Impact of stable PGI₂ analog iloprost on early graft viability after liver transplantation: a pilot study.

Background: Ischemia/reperfusion injury after liver transplantation (LT) may be associated with primary graft dysfunction (PDF) or non-function. Prostaglandins were demonstrated to be beneficial in reducing ischemic injury by improving microcirculation and protecting endothelial cells. The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of the continuously administered prostaglandin I(2) analog iloprost on allograft function after LT.

Long-term survival after recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma in liver transplant patients: clinical patterns and outcome variables.

Background: The objective of this trial was to analyze the clinical patterns and outcome variables of recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in liver transplant patients.

Patients And Methods: Sixty patients after liver transplantation (LT) for HCC were analyzed. All of them received initially a calcineurin-inhibitor based immunosuppressive regimen.

Increased 18F-FDG uptake of hepatocellular carcinoma on positron emission tomography independently predicts tumor recurrence in liver transplant patients.

The aim of this retrospective trial was to analyze the value of preoperative (18)F-fluoro-deoxyglucose positron emission tomography ((18)F-FDG PET) to predict parameters of tumor aggressiveness among liver transplant (OLT) patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Fifty-five patients with HCC underwent (18)F-FDG-PET during evaluation for OLT. Nineteen patients demonstrated increased (18)F-FDG uptake on PET pre-OLT (PET(+)), and 36 patients revealed negative PET findings (PET(-)).

18F-FDG-uptake of hepatocellular carcinoma on PET predicts microvascular tumor invasion in liver transplant patients.

Vascular invasion of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a major risk factor for poor outcome after liver transplantation (LT). The aim of this retrospective analysis was to assess the value of preoperative positron emission tomography (PET) using (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose ((18)F-FDG) in liver transplant candidates with HCC for predicting microvascular tumor invasion (MVI) and posttransplant tumor recurrence. Forty-two patients underwent LT for HCC after PET evaluation.