can a hcc patient under go a liver transplant with portal hypertension splenomegaly

by Virginie Schuster PhD 4 min read

Liver resection for hepatocellular carcinoma in patients ...

32 hours ago The outcomes of liver resection were improved while liver transplantation was performed for the patients with suspicious portal hypertension. Platelet count, 105 × 10(3)/uL, could be a watershed for early stage HCC patients to undergo liver resection or liver transplantation. >> Go To The Portal


If the patient has evidence of portal hypertension manifested by splenomegaly, thrombocytopenia, varices on endoscopy, those patients usually won't tolerate liver resection for HCC and will require transplantation.

If the patient has evidence of portal hypertension manifested by splenomegaly, thrombocytopenia, varices on endoscopy, those patients usually won't tolerate liver resection for HCC and will require transplantation.Sep 24, 2020

Full Answer

What is liver resection for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in chronic liver disease?

The outcomes of liver resection were improved while liver transplantation was performed for the patients with suspicious portal hypertension. Platelet count, 105 × 10(3)/uL, could be a watershed for early stage HCC patients to undergo liver resection or liver transplantation.

Is there a treatment algorithm for hypertension after liver transplant?

Hypertension is a common co-morbidity and a frequent complication in liver transplant patients. The aim of this paper is to concisely review available clinical data and propose a hypertension treatment algorithm in liver transplant patients. Calcium channel blockers are mainstay of the treatment due to their potent vasodilatory effects.

Is portal hypertension a sign of liver disease?

Oct 28, 2021 · Introduction. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) constitutes greater than 80% of all primary liver cancers worldwide.1 It is the sixth most common cancer and the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths.2 In the US, from 1999 to 2016, the age-adjusted death rate due to HCC has increased annually by 2.1% (1.9% to 2.3%, p<0.001), with increased incidence in all 50 …

How does cirrhosis cause portal hypertension?

Feb 13, 2019 ·

Can you have a liver transplant with portal hypertension?

Liver transplantation is the only curative treatment for patients with portal hypertension in end-stage liver dis- ease. Patients with good liver function despite portal hy- pertension may be managed satisfactorily without liver transplantation.

Can you get a liver transplant if you have HCC?

Liver transplantation for treatment of HCC is attractive because resection of the malignant tumor can be achieved while also replacing the cirrhotic liver that remains at risk for the development of new lesions. However, early experience with transplantation for patients with unresectable local HCC was disappointing.Nov 24, 2021

Is HCC a contraindication for liver transplant?

This led to HCC being a contraindication for orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) until 1996, when the Milan criteria (1 lesion ≤5 cm, 3 lesions with no one >3 cm, no vascular invasion, and no metastasis) were introduced (Table 1).Oct 28, 2015

What are the contraindications for a liver transplant?

Contraindications for liver transplantation include severe cardiovascular or pulmonary disease, active drug or alcohol abuse, malignancy outside the liver, sepsis, or psychosocial problems that might jeopardize patients' abilities to follow their medical regimens after transplant.Oct 15, 2020

What are the requirements for a liver transplant?

Before you can begin the liver transplant evaluation process, you must be free of:Cancer outside the liver.Alcohol for at least 6 months.Substance abuse.Active infections.Disabling psychiatric conditions.Documented medical non-compliance.Lack of adequate social support.Lack of adequate insurance.More items...

What are the indications for liver transplant evaluation?

Patients should be considered for liver transplantation if they have evidence of fulminant hepatic failure, a life-threatening systemic complication of liver disease, or a liver-based metabolic defect or, more commonly, cirrhosis with complications such as hepatic encephalopathy, ascites, hepatocellular carcinoma, ...

What is the most common indication for liver transplant?

The most common indications for liver transplantation in the United States are hepatitis C virus (30%) and alcoholic liver disease (18%). Other indications include the following: Idiopathic/autoimmune liver disease (12%) Primary biliary cirrhosis (10%)

What is an absolute contraindication for liver transplantation?

Contraindications to liver transplantation. Symptomatic coronary artery disease, severe ventricular dysfunction, advanced cardiomyopathy, severe valvular heart disease, and aortic stenosis having poor ventricular function are absolute contraindications for transplantation.Oct 5, 2011

What are the contraindications of liver function test?

Relative contraindications may be psychosocial conditions resulting in poor compliance, advanced age, and severe hepatopulmonary or hepatorenal syndrome that may not be cured or improved after liver transplantation, as well as severe obesity or severe malnutrition.

What are the complications of liver transplant?

Risks associated with the procedure include:Bile duct complications, including bile duct leaks or shrinking of the bile ducts.Bleeding.Blood clots.Failure of donated liver.Infection.Rejection of donated liver.Mental confusion or seizures.Jun 2, 2021

Is portal vein thrombosis a contraindication to liver transplant?

Objectives: Portal vein thrombosis is no longer a contraindication for liver transplantation. However, varied outcomes are still reported with regard to patients with complete portal vein thrombosis.May 8, 2019

What are absolute contraindications for transplant?

Absolute Contraindications Severe local or systemic infection. Severe neurologic deficits. Active substance addiction/abuse. Major psychiatric illness or active substance abuse that cannot be managed sufficiently to allow post-transplant care and safety.

What is portal hypertension?

Portal hypertension (PHT) defined as a hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) of > 5 mmHg [ 1] can result from different causes. The most common etiology of PHT is cirrhosis as an intrahepatic cause of PHT. However, the causes of PHT after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) [ 2] are heterogeneous with specific pathophysiological mechanisms. While PHT treatment algorithms are well established for non-transplanted patients with cirrhosis [ 3, 4 ], our review will summarize the causes of post-OLT PHT and the limited data on specific treatment strategies.

Why do I have PHT after transplant?

Specific reasons for PHT in the post-transplant setting include surgical complications. While vascular complications other than portal vein thrombosis (PVT) are rare prior to OLT, anastomoses of the inferior vena cava (IVC), the portal vein (PV), and the hepatic artery (HA) need to be performed, all with potential incongruent lumen size and subsequent flow problems. Figure 1 illustrates a summary of potential surgical complications at the anastomotic sites leading to PHT. Hepatic artery thrombosis is a severe complication that may require immediate re-transplantation in many cases and often causes ischemic cholangiopathy, a potential cause for PHT and graft failure in the long term [ 45, 46 ]. However, hepatic artery thrombosis and associated biliary complications are not further discussed, as they do not directly lead to portal hypertension. PVT and hepatic venous outflow obstruction (HVOO) can lead to portal hypertension and thus, development of (refractory) ascites and varices.

What is open access?

Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author (s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.

Does PHT resolve after transplant?

PHT usually resolves after transplantation. To avoid pre- and perioperative complications, patients need optimal management of PHT on the waiting list. In NASH patients, aggressive medical therapy for comorbidities is required in order to reduce the risks associated with BMI > 35 kg/m 2, arterial hypertension, and diabetes mellitus. Nutrition and exercise programs may prevent and treat metabolic liver disease and NASH in the post-OLT period and thus, prevent NASH-associated PHT after OLT.

Is CHC an OLT?

In Western countries, CHC has been the most common indication for OLT for decades. However, using highly effective and well-tolerated interferon (IFN)-free regimens, sustained virologic response (SVR) is achieved in nearly all patients, even in difficult-to-cure subgroups such as patients with HIV-coinfection [ 5] or patients with advanced chronic liver disease (ACLD) [ 6 ].

What happens if your liver is failing?

If your liver is failing, your life expectancy can be predicted by measuring how well it performs these different functions.

What is the most common cause of liver failure?

The most common causes of cirrhosis are chronic alcohol abuse and viral hepatitis. However, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease -- a condition associated with obesity -- is becoming a more important cause of end-stage liver disease. Portal hypertension is one of the complications of cirrhosis , but it is not necessarily useful for predicting the life expectancy of people with end-stage liver disease.

Where is the liver located?

Your liver lies high in the right side of your abdomen, just beneath your ribs. All of the blood from your intestines, spleen, pancreas and stomach is filtered by your liver before returning to your heart. This blood enters your liver through the portal vein, which is formed by the union of smaller veins from your various internal organs. If your liver becomes scarred by cirrhosis, it cannot quickly filter the blood arriving from your organs, and the pressure within the portal vein rises. This condition, called portal hypertension, is a sign of advanced liver disease, but its presence is not an accurate indicator of life expectancy.

What is it called when the liver is scarred?

This condition, called portal hypertension, is a sign of advanced liver disease, but its presence is not an accurate indicator of life expectancy.

What is the function of the liver?

Your liver is a vital and metabolically active organ. In addition to harvesting nutrients from the blood arriving from your intestine, your liver removes potentially toxic agents from your circulation and converts them to substances that can be eliminated in your urine or feces. Your liver also manufactures compounds that are essential for your survival, such as the proteins that clot your blood when you are injured. If your liver is failing, your life expectancy can be predicted by measuring how well it performs these different functions.

How accurate is the Meld scoring system?

MELD’s accuracy for predicting life expectancy beyond 90 days is limited. MELD scoring must be modified for people whose cirrhosis is complicated by liver cancer, as sometimes occurs in patients with viral hepatitis. If you have other medical conditions in addition to cirrhosis, such as heart disease, MELD may be less useful for estimating your longevity. Each patient’s situation is different, and your own doctor is best qualified to answer questions about your life expectancy.

Is portal hypertension a liver disease?

Portal hypertension is one of the complications of cirrhosis, but it is not necessarily useful for predicting the life expectancy of people with end-stage liver disease.