[Lymphovenous anastomosis in severe ascites].
The authors dealt with 37 patients suffering from advanced liver cirrhosis with ascites. Eighteen patients out of them underwent Denver peritoneum-jugular shunt as a first choice procedure, the other 19 patients underwent lymphovenous anastomosis. The extremely advanced hepatic damage and the general conditions of these patients discouraged us to perform a portocaval shunt. In the 19 patients who underwent lymphovenous anastomosis we had no mortality rate. Two patients showed post-operative complications: 1 patient complained which hoarseness regressed in 5 months and the other patient suffered from a spleno-mesenteric-portal thrombosis with digestive hemorrhage from gastro-esophageal varices. In 6 patients out of 19 who underwent lymphovenous anastomosis, we did not obtain any immediate positive effects on ascites. In 4 patients, after 3 months, the ascites came back ingravescent and in the other 9 patients the positive effects on ascites were still evident after 1 year. Despite failure to obtain very comforting results, they suggest to employ this technique at any rate, as the first procedure, to make ascites more "manageable", because of its safety.
Bracci
F
F
Farina
F
F
Zampino
M A
MA
Bracaglia
C
C
Salvini
G
G
Cucchiara
G
G
D000714:Anastomosis, Surgical; D001201:Ascites / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007601:Jugular Veins / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013897:Thoracic Duct / Q000601:surgery*
L'anastomosi linfovenosa nell'ascite difficile.