BACKGROUND： Portal vein thrombosis （PVT） is one of the main vascular complications after liver transplantation （LT）, especially in pediatric patients with biliary atresia （BA）. This study aimed to assess the pr...BACKGROUND： Portal vein thrombosis （PVT） is one of the main vascular complications after liver transplantation （LT）, especially in pediatric patients with biliary atresia （BA）. This study aimed to assess the preoperative hepatic hemodynamics in pediatric patients with BA using Doppler ultrasound and determine whether ultrasonographic parameters may predict early PVT after LT.METHODS： One hundred and twenty-eight pediatric patients with BA younger than 3 years of age underwent Doppler ultra- sound within seven days before LT, between October 2006 and June 2013. The preoperative hepatic hemodynamic parameters were then compared between patients with early PVT （within 1 month following LT） and those without PVT. Receiver oper- ating characteristic analysis was performed to determine the optimal cutoff value for predicting early PVT. RESULTS： Of the 128 transplant recipients, 41 （32.03%） had a hypoplastic portal vein （PV）, 52 （40.63%） had hepatofugal PV flow and 40 （31.25%） had a high hepatic artery resistance index （HARI） of 〉1. Nine cases （7.03%） experienced early PVT. A PV diameter 〈4 mm （sensitivity 88.89%, specificity 72.27%）, and a hepatofugal PV flow （sensitivity 77.78%, specificity 62.18%） with a high HARI ≥1 （sensitivity 77.78%, specificity 72.27%） were hepatic hemodynamic risk factors for early PVT.（ CONCLUSIONS： Hepatic hemodynamic disturbances in pediatric recipients with BA were more common. Small PV diameter （≤4 mm） and hepatofugal PV flow combined with high HARI （≥1） are strong warning signs of early PVT after LT in pediatric patients with BA. Intense monitoring of vascular patency and prophylactic thrombolytic therapy should be considered in pediatric patients undergoing LT for BA.展开更多
BACKGROUND A recent retrospective study confirmed that hepatic stiffness and splenic stiffness measured with magnetic resonance elastography(MRE) are strongly associated with the presence of esophageal varices. In add...BACKGROUND A recent retrospective study confirmed that hepatic stiffness and splenic stiffness measured with magnetic resonance elastography(MRE) are strongly associated with the presence of esophageal varices. In addition, strong correlations have been reported between splenic stiffness values measured with MRE and hepatic venous pressure gradients in animal models. However, most studies have been conducted on adult populations, and previous pediatric MRE studies have only demonstrated the feasibility of MRE in pediatric populations, while the actual clinical application of spleen MRE has been limited.AIM To assess the utility of splenic stiffness measurements by MRE to predict gastroesophageal varices in children.METHODS We retrospectively reviewed abdominal MRE images taken on a 3 T system in pediatric patients. Patients who had undergone Kasai operations for biliary atresia were selected for the Kasai group, and patients with normal livers and spleens were selected for the control group. Two-dimensional spin-echo echoplanar MRE acquisition centered on the liver, with a pneumatic driver at 60 Hz and a low amplitude, was performed to obtain hepatic and splenic stiffness values. Laboratory results for aspartate aminotransferase to platelet ratio index(APRI) were evaluated within six months of MRE, and the normalized spleen size ratio was determined with the upper normal size limit. All Kasai group patients underwent gastroesophageal endoscopy during routine follow-up. The MannWhitney U test, Kendall's tau b correlation and diagnostic performance analysis using the area under the curve(AUC) were performed for statistical analysis.RESULTS The median spleen MRE value was 5.5 kPa in the control group(n = 9, age 9-18 years, range 4.7-6.4 kPa) and 8.6 kPa in the Kasai group(n = 22, age 4-18 years,range 5.0-17.8 kPa). In the Kasai group, the APRI, spleen size ratio and spleen MRE values were higher in patients with portal hypertension(n = 11) than in patients without(n = 11)(all P < 0.001) and in patients with gastroesophageal varices(n = 6) than in patients without(n = 16)(all P < 0.05), even though their liver MRE values were not different. The APRI(τ = 0.477, P = 0.007), spleen size ratio(τ = 0.401, P = 0.024) and spleen MRE values(τ = 0.426, P = 0.016) also correlated with varices grades. The AUC in predicting gastroesophageal varices was 0.844 at a cut-off of 0.65(100% sensitivity and 75% specificity) for the APRI,and 0.844 at a cut-off of 9.9 kPa(83.3% sensitivity and 81.3% specificity) for spleen MRE values.CONCLUSION At a cut-off of 9.9 kPa, spleen MRE values predicted gastroesophageal varices as well as the APRI and spleen size ratio in biliary atresia patients after the Kasai operation. However, liver MRE values were not useful for this purpose.展开更多
基金supported by a grant from the Science and Research of Shanghai Municipal Health Bureau(20134Y019)
文摘BACKGROUND： Portal vein thrombosis （PVT） is one of the main vascular complications after liver transplantation （LT）, especially in pediatric patients with biliary atresia （BA）. This study aimed to assess the preoperative hepatic hemodynamics in pediatric patients with BA using Doppler ultrasound and determine whether ultrasonographic parameters may predict early PVT after LT.METHODS： One hundred and twenty-eight pediatric patients with BA younger than 3 years of age underwent Doppler ultra- sound within seven days before LT, between October 2006 and June 2013. The preoperative hepatic hemodynamic parameters were then compared between patients with early PVT （within 1 month following LT） and those without PVT. Receiver oper- ating characteristic analysis was performed to determine the optimal cutoff value for predicting early PVT. RESULTS： Of the 128 transplant recipients, 41 （32.03%） had a hypoplastic portal vein （PV）, 52 （40.63%） had hepatofugal PV flow and 40 （31.25%） had a high hepatic artery resistance index （HARI） of 〉1. Nine cases （7.03%） experienced early PVT. A PV diameter 〈4 mm （sensitivity 88.89%, specificity 72.27%）, and a hepatofugal PV flow （sensitivity 77.78%, specificity 62.18%） with a high HARI ≥1 （sensitivity 77.78%, specificity 72.27%） were hepatic hemodynamic risk factors for early PVT.（ CONCLUSIONS： Hepatic hemodynamic disturbances in pediatric recipients with BA were more common. Small PV diameter （≤4 mm） and hepatofugal PV flow combined with high HARI （≥1） are strong warning signs of early PVT after LT in pediatric patients with BA. Intense monitoring of vascular patency and prophylactic thrombolytic therapy should be considered in pediatric patients undergoing LT for BA.
文摘BACKGROUND A recent retrospective study confirmed that hepatic stiffness and splenic stiffness measured with magnetic resonance elastography(MRE) are strongly associated with the presence of esophageal varices. In addition, strong correlations have been reported between splenic stiffness values measured with MRE and hepatic venous pressure gradients in animal models. However, most studies have been conducted on adult populations, and previous pediatric MRE studies have only demonstrated the feasibility of MRE in pediatric populations, while the actual clinical application of spleen MRE has been limited.AIM To assess the utility of splenic stiffness measurements by MRE to predict gastroesophageal varices in children.METHODS We retrospectively reviewed abdominal MRE images taken on a 3 T system in pediatric patients. Patients who had undergone Kasai operations for biliary atresia were selected for the Kasai group, and patients with normal livers and spleens were selected for the control group. Two-dimensional spin-echo echoplanar MRE acquisition centered on the liver, with a pneumatic driver at 60 Hz and a low amplitude, was performed to obtain hepatic and splenic stiffness values. Laboratory results for aspartate aminotransferase to platelet ratio index(APRI) were evaluated within six months of MRE, and the normalized spleen size ratio was determined with the upper normal size limit. All Kasai group patients underwent gastroesophageal endoscopy during routine follow-up. The MannWhitney U test, Kendall's tau b correlation and diagnostic performance analysis using the area under the curve(AUC) were performed for statistical analysis.RESULTS The median spleen MRE value was 5.5 kPa in the control group(n = 9, age 9-18 years, range 4.7-6.4 kPa) and 8.6 kPa in the Kasai group(n = 22, age 4-18 years,range 5.0-17.8 kPa). In the Kasai group, the APRI, spleen size ratio and spleen MRE values were higher in patients with portal hypertension(n = 11) than in patients without(n = 11)(all P < 0.001) and in patients with gastroesophageal varices(n = 6) than in patients without(n = 16)(all P < 0.05), even though their liver MRE values were not different. The APRI(τ = 0.477, P = 0.007), spleen size ratio(τ = 0.401, P = 0.024) and spleen MRE values(τ = 0.426, P = 0.016) also correlated with varices grades. The AUC in predicting gastroesophageal varices was 0.844 at a cut-off of 0.65(100% sensitivity and 75% specificity) for the APRI,and 0.844 at a cut-off of 9.9 kPa(83.3% sensitivity and 81.3% specificity) for spleen MRE values.CONCLUSION At a cut-off of 9.9 kPa, spleen MRE values predicted gastroesophageal varices as well as the APRI and spleen size ratio in biliary atresia patients after the Kasai operation. However, liver MRE values were not useful for this purpose.
