BACKGROUND/AIMS:Biliary tract complications are a common cause of morbidity and mortality after orthotopic liver transplantation. We report our experience in the use of ERCP in the treatment of post liver transplantation biliary complications.METHODOLOGY:Retrospectively we evaluated 34 patients who had undergone ERCP out of 460 who received a liver transplantation between January 1999 and December 2004. Eighteen patients presented biliary strictures, anastomotic in 12 cases and hilar in 6 cases; seven patients presented a biliary fistula and fifteen presented biliary stones in 8 cases associated to stricture and in 1 case to a fistula. Finally three patients underwent ERCP do to jaundice. The 18 patients with biliary strictures underwent sphincterotomy, dilation and stenting; the seven cases with fistulas were treated with a plastic biliary stent without sphincterotomy and the patients with biliary stones underwent sphincterotomy and endoscopic toilette of the common bile duct.RESULTS:An ERCP success rate of 97.7% was achieved without any significant complications. We obtained the resolution of all the biliary anastomotic strictures; resolution of hilar strictures was obtained in 66.6%. Biliary leak healed in 85.7% of patients. Complete endoscopic toilette was achieved in all the patients with biliary stones.CONCLUSIONS:In our experience ERCP has proved to be safe and effective in the treatment of post liver transplant biliary complications.

AIM: To determine the role of interferon (IFN) with or without ribavirin in preventing or delaying hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development in patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) related cirrhosis. Data on the preventive effect of IFN plus ribavirin treatment are lacking.METHODS: A total of 101 patients (62 males and 39 females, mean age 55.1 +/- 1.4 years) with histologically proven HCV related liver cirrhosis plus compatible biochemistry and ultrasonography were enrolled in the study. Biochemistry and ultrasonography were performed every 6 mo. Ultrasound guided liver biopsy was performed on all detected focal lesions. Follow-up lasted for 5 years. Cellular proliferation, evaluated by measuring Ag-NOR proteins in hepatocytes nuclei, was expressed as AgNOR-Proliferative index (AgNOR-PI) (cut-off = 2.5). Forty-one patients (27 males, 14 females) were only followed up after the end of an yearly treatment with IFN-alpha2b (old treatment control group = OTCG). Sixty naive patients were stratified according to sex and AgNOR-PI and then randomized in two groups: 30 were treated with IFN-alpha2b + ribavirin (treatment group = TG), the remaining were not treated (control group = CG). Nonresponders (NR) or relapsers in the TG received further IFN/ribavirin treatments after a 6 mo of withdrawal.RESULTS: AgNOR-PI was significantly lowered by IFN (P<0.001). HCC incidence was higher in patients with AgNOR-PI>2.5 (26% vs 3%, P<0.01). Two NR in the OTCG, none in the TG and 9 patients in the CG developed HCC during follow-up. The Kaplan-Mayer survival curves showed statistically significant differences both between OTCG and CG (P<0.004) and between TG and CG (P<0.003).CONCLUSION: IFN/ribavirin treatment associated with retreatment courses of NR seems to produce the best results in terms of HCC prevention. AgNOR-PI is a useful marker of possible HCC development.

Background/Aims: The aim of the present, open-labeled, randomized study was to determine the efficacy and safety of different doses of consensus interferon plus ribavirin in the initial treatment of chronic hepatitis C.Methods: One hundred and one genotype 2/3 patients were randomized to receive 9 mcg (group A, n = 48) or 18 mcg (group B, n = 53) of consensus interferon thrice weekly plus ribavirin (1000/1200 mg/daily) for 24 weeks and 92 genotype 1 patients to receive 9 mcg (group C, n = 47) or 18 mcg (group D, n = 45) of consensus interferon plus ribavirin for 48 weeks.Results: In an intention-to-treat analysis, the sustained virologic response at 24-week follow-up was 69% and 66% for group A and B (P = 0.77) and 40% and 36% for group C and D (P = 0.63). The overall sustained response was 67% and 38% in patients with genotype 2/3 and 1, respectively. Among genotype 1 patients the sustained virologic response was 39% and 41% for high or low baseline viremia levels.Conclusions: Higher consensus interferon dose does not increase sustained virologic response. Naive genotype 1 patients may achieve significant response rate of approximately 40% if treated with 9 mcg of consensus interferon plus ribavirin for 48 weeks. (C) 2003 European Association for the Study of the Liver. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.