Long-term Survival Of Cirrhotic Patients Research Articles

Impact of spontaneous splenorenal shunt on liver volume and long-term survival of liver cirrhosis.

Spontaneous splenorenal shunt (SSRS) is one of the manifestations of portal hypertension in liver cirrhosis. However, the impact of SSRS on long-term survival of cirrhotic patients remains unclear. We hypothesize that SSRS may worsen liver dysfunction and deteriorate prognosis in liver cirrhosis by decreasing hepatic perfusion. Patients with liver cirrhosis who were admitted to our department between December 2014 and August 2019 and underwent contrast-enhanced computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging scans were prospectively collected. The maximum diameters of SSRS and portal vein system vessels were retrospectively measured. Liver-to-abdominal area ratio, Child-Pugh, and model for end-stage liver disease scores were calculated. Overall, 122 cirrhotic patients were included. The prevalence of SSRS was 30.3% (37/122). Median diameter of SSRS was 13.5mm. Patients with SSRS had significantly thinner diameters of right portal vein (9mm vs 11.2mm, P=0.001) and main portal vein (15.3mm vs 16.8mm, P=0.017) than those without SSRS. Patients with SSRS had significantly lower liver-to-abdominal area ratio score (25.39 vs 31.58, P<0.001) and higher Child-Pugh (7 vs 6, P=0.046) and model for end-stage liver disease (12.17 vs 9.79, P<0.006) scores than those without SSRS. Patients with SSRS had a significantly lower cumulative survival rate than those without SSRS (P=0.014). Cox regression analysis also showed that SSRS was a risk factor of death of cirrhotic patients (hazard ratio=4.161, 95% confidence interval=1.215-14.255, P=0.023). Spontaneous splenorenal shunt may narrow portal vein diameter and shrink liver volume, thereby worsening liver function and increasing mortality in liver cirrhosis.

Revisiting the indications for liver transplantation in cirrhotic patients considering the long-term outcomes of cirrhotic patients.

In this study, we investigated long-term survival of cirrhotic patients without hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and the proper timing of liver transplantation in the era with recent progress of management. We first classified 217 non-transplant cirrhotic patients without HCC according to the long-term survival based on Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP) scores and the MELD scores. We then compared them with the survival after liver transplantation in 114 patients with liver cirrhosis. We classified into four groups (class A as CTP score of 5,6, B as 7,8, C as 9-12, D as 13-15) according to the long-term survival of the patients, the survivals of patients with class C and D were significantly worse compared with transplant patients (P<0.001 in each group). And we also classified into four groups based on the MELD scores (class A as MELD score of -8, B as 9-12, C as 13-19, D as 19-), the survivals of patients with class C and D were significantly worse compared with those of transplant patients (P<0.001 in each group). Considering the long-term survival of patients with liver cirrhosis, CTP score of 9 and/or MELD score of 13 could be a proper timing for liver transplantation.

Effect of low-dose aspirin administration on long-term survival of cirrhotic patients after splenectomy: A retrospective single-center study.

BACKGROUNDCirrhosis is a major risk factor for the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Portal vein thrombosis is not uncommon after splenectomy in cirrhotic patients, and many such patients take oral anticoagulants including aspirin. However, the long-term impact of postoperative aspirin on cirrhotic patients after splenectomy remains unknown.AIMThe main purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of postoperative long-term low-dose aspirin administration on the development of HCC and long-term survival of cirrhotic patients after splenectomy.METHODSThe clinical data of 264 adult patients with viral hepatitis-related cirrhosis who underwent splenectomy at the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University from January 2000 to December 2014 were analyzed retrospectively. Among these patients, 59 who started taking 100 mg/d aspirin within seven days were enrolled in the aspirin group. The incidence of HCC and overall survival were analyzed.RESULTSDuring follow-up, 41 (15.53%) patients developed HCC and 37 (14.02%) died due to end-stage liver diseases or other serious complications. Postoperative long-term low-dose aspirin therapy reduced the incidence of HCC from 19.02% to 3.40% after splenectomy (log-rank test, P = 0.028). Univariate and multivariate analyses showed that not undertaking postoperative long-term low-dose aspirin therapy [odds ratio (OR) = 6.211, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.142-27.324, P = 0.016] was the only independent risk factor for the development of HCC. Similarly, patients in the aspirin group survived longer than those in the control group (log-rank test, P = 0.041). Univariate and multivariate analyses showed that the only factor that independently associated with improved overall survival was postoperative long-term low-dose aspirin therapy [OR = 0.218, 95%CI: 0.049-0.960, P = 0.044].CONCLUSIONIn patients with viral hepatitis-related cirrhosis, long-term post-splenectomy administration of low-dose aspirin reduces the incidence of HCC and improves the long-term overall survival.

Pre-treatment hemodynamic features involved with long-term survival of cirrhotic patients after embolization of gastric fundal varices

Purpose To clarify the pre-treatment hemodynamic features involved in the long-term survival of cirrhotic patients with gastric fundal varices (FV) after balloon-occluded retrograde transvenous obliteration (B-RTO). Materials and methods Eighty-one cirrhotic patients with medium- or large-grade FV treated by B-RTO were enrolled in this retrospective study. Pre-treatment flow volume ratio between gastric vein and portal trunk (GP-R) was obtained by Doppler ultrasound. Results The cumulative survival rate was 90% at 1 year, 74.8% at 3 years, 57.2% at 5 years, and 45.8% at 7 years without recurrence in a median period of 1148.5 days The survival was poorer in patients with HCC (47% at 3 years, 9.4% at 5 years, p < 0.0001) than without (89.2% at 3 years, 81.9% at 5 years, 67.5% at 7 years), in patients with Child B/C (57.7% at 3 years, 42.1% at 5 years, 28.1% at 7 years, p = 0.0016) than with Child A (91.8% at 3 years, 71.5% at 5 years, 62.1% at 7 years), and in patients with GP-R ≥ 1.0 (58.9% at 3 years, p = 0.0485) than with GP-R < 1.0 (76.3% at 3 years, 62% at 5 years, 49.6% at 7 years). Multivariate analysis identified the presence of HCC (hazard ratio, 12.486; 95% CI, 4.08–38.216; p < 0.0001), Child B/C (hazard ratio, 3.41; 95% CI, 1.594–7.15; p = 0.0051) and GP-R ≥ 1.0 (hazard ratio, 2.701; 95% CI, 1.07–6.15; p = 0.0221) as independent factors for poor prognosis. Conclusion GP-R ≥ 1.0 on Doppler ultrasound before B-RTO may be a predictive indicator for poor prognosis in cirrhotic patients with FV after B-RTO, in addition to the presence of HCC and severe liver damage.

Long-term prognosis of cirrhosis after spontaneous bacterial peritonitis treated with ceftriaxone.

Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) is a frequent infection in cirrhotic patients with ascites, with a poor prognosis. The aims of this study were to determine the long-term survival of cirrhotic patients with SBP treated with ceftriaxone and to identify predictive factors related to survival. We studied 47 first episodes of SBP treated with ceftriaxone with a mean follow-up of 272 days. Nineteen variables were recorded to evaluate their relation to survival. The most frequent organism that caused SBP was Escherichia coli (40%). Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis resolution was achieved in 67% of patients. After resolution, SBP recurrence was observed in 44% of patients. The cumulative probability of survival was 68.1% at 1 month and 30.8% at 6 months. After uni-and multivariate analyses of all cases, SBP resolution ( p = 0.0001) and international normalized ratio (INR) ( p = 0.0057) were found to be related to survival. Another analysis performed after SBP resolution and SBP recurrence showed that ascitic fluid-positive culture ( p = 0.0344) and INR ( p = 0.0218) had statistical significance as variables predictive of long-term survival. We conclude that the survival of cirrhotic patients is very short after the first episode of SBP, a fact probably related to advanced liver disease, as liver dysfunction (INR) is the most important factor related to long-term patient survival.

Long-term results of percutaneous ethanol injection therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma in cirrhosis: a European experience.

The objective of our work was to evaluate the long-term results of percutaneous ethanol injection (PEI) for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with liver cirrhosis. A total of 184 cirrhotic patients with HCC underwent PEI as the only anticancer treatment over an 8-year period. Patients were followed after therapy by means of clinical examinations, laboratory tests, and US and CT studies performed at regular time intervals. Survival rates were determined according to the Kaplan-Meier method. The overall survival was 67% at 3 years, 41% at 5 years, and 19% at 7 years. The 3-, 5-, and 7-year survival rates of patients with single HCC < or = 3 cm (78, 54, and 28%, respectively) were significantly higher (p < 0.01) than those of patients with single HCC of 3.1-5 cm (61, 32, and 16, respectively) or multiple HCCs (51, 21, and 0%, respectively). Survival of Child-Pugh A patients (79% at 3 years, 53% at 5 years, and 32% at 7 years) was significantly longer (p < 0.01) than that of Child-Pugh B patients (50% at 3 years, 28% at 5 years, and 8% at 7 years). A selected group of 70 patients with Child-Pugh A cirrhosis and single HCC < or = 3 cm had a 7-year survival of 42%. Long-term survival of cirrhotic patients with HCC treated with PEI is comparable to that reported in published series of matched patients submitted to surgical resection.