PURPOSE:To evaluate the underlying mechanisms by which sevoflurane protects the liver against ischemia/reperfusion injury evaluate the mechanism by which sevoflurane exerts this protective effect. METHODS:Twenty-six rats were subjected to partial ischemia/reperfusion injury for 1h: one group received no treatment, one group received sevoflurane, and sham group of animals received laparotomy only. Four hours after reperfusion, levels of alanine and aspartate aminotransferases, tumor necrosis factor-α, and interleukins 6 and 10 were measured. Analyses of mitochondrial oxidation and phosphorylation, malondialdehyde content, histology, and pulmonary vascular permeability were performed. RESULTS:Serum levels of alanine and aspartate aminotransferases were significantly lower in the sevoflurane group compared to untreated controls (p<0.05). The sevoflurane group also showed preservation of liver mitochondrial function compared to untreated controls (p<0.05). Sevoflurane administration did not alter increases in serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-α, and interleukins 6 and 10. Sevoflurane treatment significantly reduced the coagulative necrosis induced by ischemia/reperfusion (p<0.05). Pulmonary vascular permeability was preserved in the sevoflurane group compared to untreated controls. CONCLUSION:Sevoflurane administration protects the liver against ischemia/reperfusion injury, via preservation of mitochondrial function, and also preserves lung vascular permeability.

A 52-year-old male with liver cirrhosis secondary to hepatitis virus C, Child-Pugh score of C10, and Model for End-stage Liver Disease score of 20 was listed for liver transplant. During the pretransplant management, an abdominal computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI, Fig. 1) showed a 2.7ϫ2.2 cm mass in the liver and a 1.7ϫ1.2 cm tumor in the right kidney. The liver mass on the CT was hyperdense with the liver parenchyma in the early arterial phase of contrast enhancement and hypodense in the portal phase; on the MRI, on T1-weighted sequences, it was hypointense to the liver and, on T2-weighted, it was hyperintense, suggesting hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The renal tumor on the CT and was a solitary solid lesion with contrast enhancement during the arterial phase; on the MRI, on T2-weighted images, it was hyperintense to the liver; on T1-weighted, it was hypointense, with a high degree of confidence in diagnosing renal cell carcinoma (RCC).Being a Child-Pugh C patient, he had a prohibitive risk to perform either a biopsy of the kidney tumor or its resection. Based on the fact that renal metastasis from a primary hepatocellular carcinoma is a extremely rare event (1), on the initial stage of both tumors and finally on the MRI and CT findings, we considered the possibility of two synchronous tumors and decided not to contraindicate the liver transplant. During the liver transplantation procedure, after the recipient's hepatectomy, we performed a partial nephrectomy to resect the kidney mass. Then, the donor liver was implanted. Histopathological analysis confirmed a synchronous HCC and RCC. He showed a good recovery and left the hospital 7 days after the transplant. His immunosuppression regimen was based on tacrolimus and prednisone. After a 12-month followup, patient is alive with good graft function and has no clinical or CT sign of any other tumor.Synchronous early primary cancers are rare. One study showed an incidence of 3.7% of synchronous cancers related to RCC. The most common sites involved were prostate, bladder, and lung. The occurrence of synchronous RCC and HCC is extremely rare (2).There is just one case of synchronous HCC and RCC resected simultaneously during a liver transplantation procedure, recently published on the literature (3). The prognosis of RCC is not likely to be changed by immunosuppression. However, a 5-year follow-up is necessary to confirm the results. The possibility of a synchronous tumor should be considered in cirrhotic patients with HCC.

-Background -Fulminant hepatic failure carries a high morbidity and mortality. Liver transplantation has markedly improved the prognosis of patients with fulminant hepatic failure. Aim -To evaluate the outcome of 20 patients with acute liver failure and indication for liver transplantation. Methods -A retrospective review of 20 patients with acute liver failure and indication for liver transplantation was performed. Patients were divided into two groups: group A with 12 patients who underwent liver transplantation and group B with 8 patients who did not receive liver transplantation. Both groups were analyzed according to age, sex, ABO blood type, etiology of acute liver failure, time on list until transplantation or death, and survival rates. Group A patients were additionally analyzed according to preoperative INR, AST, and ALT peak values and MELD (Model for End-stage Liver Disease) scores; intraoperative red blood cells and plasma transfusion and cold ischemia time; postoperative lenght of intensive care unit and hospital stay, and needed for dialysis. Results -Group A: there were four men and eight women with an average age of 24.6 years. The average liver waiting time period was 3.4 days and MELD score 36. Seven patients are alive with good hepatic function at a medium follow-up of 26.2 months. The actuarial survival rate was 65.2% at 1 year. Group B: There were two men and six women with an average age of 30.9 years. The mean waiting time on list until death was 7.4 days. All patients died while waiting for a liver donor. Conclusion -Despite the improvements in intensive care management, most patients with acute liver failure and indication for liver transplantation ca not survive long without transplant. Liver transplantation is potentially the only curative modality and has markedly improved the prognosis of those patients.

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A cirurgia laparoscópica tem se tornado uma técnica cada vez mais frequente em nosso meio. Porém não está isenta de complicações. Embora rara, a embolia gasosa por CO2 é uma complicação grave, associada a uma mortalidade de até 28%. Esse é um relato de caso de um paciente do sexo masculino, 73 anos, que foi submetido a uma hepatectomia parcial videolaparoscopica para o tratamento de um adenocarcinoma. Após 200 minutos de cirurgia apresentou instabilidade hemodinâmica, diminuição da saturação de oxigênio, acidose respiratória e diminuição da ETCO2. Foi então desfeito o pneumoperitoneo e o paciente foi tratado com drogas vasoativas. O rápido diagnostico da embolia por CO2 foi importante para a rápida recuperação e ausência de sequelas no paciente.