Communicating Veins Between Adjacent Hepatic Veins: Rare, Exceptional or Frequent? An Intra-operative Ultrasound Study
The search for communicating veins (CVs) between adjacent hepatic veins (HVs) has drawn its
rationale from the need of reducing the risk of incomplete blood outflow in the medial
portion of the hemiliver without the middle hepatic vein (MHV) in living donor liver
transplantation (LDLT). However, only 24% of patients seems having CVs based on the findings
of color-Doppler intraoperative ultrasound (CD-IOUS) exploration. On the other hand the
safety of parenchymal sparing procedure despite HV resection let suppose that CVs are
probably more frequent than expected.
Certainly, better in vivo knowledge of the rate of CVs and their direct detection would
consolidate and probably further expand parenchymal sparing techniques. Taking profit from
new advancements in ultrasound technology we have carried out the present study with the aim
of better estimating the rate of CVs in a consecutive series of patients in whom resection
of one HV at caval confluence was needed.
Observational
Observational Model: Cohort, Time Perspective: Prospective
First outcome was the rate of CVs detectable with e-flow IOUS along clamping of the HV for which resection could be needed.
No
Italy: Ministry of Health
CV-HV
NCT00960609
January 2008
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