[Stent placement in treating hepatic artery stenosis after liver transplantation].
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of stent placement in treating hepatic artery stenosis after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT).


METHODS
From November 2003 to September 2005, 14 patients who had hepatic artery stenosis after OLT underwent stent placement in their narrowed hepatic arteries. This included early interventional treatment in 10 patients and delayed interventional treatment in 4 patients. The technical results, clinical outcomes, and the hepatic artery patencies were reviewed.


RESULTS
Technical and immediate success was 100%. After a mean follow-up of 146 days (range, 9-345 days), all patients' hepatic arteries were patent, except that hepatic arterious restenosis occurred in 2 patients at 26 and 45 days after the stent placement. Of the 10 patients who received early treatment, 8 survived with normal results of liver function test and 2 patients died of septic multiple-organ failure at 9 and 30 days after the stent procedure. One patient received a retransplantation because of refractory biliary infection. Of the 4 patients who received a delayed interventional treatment, 1 patient survived for 345 days but with abnormal liver functional test results, the other 3 patients died of septic multiple-organ failure resulting from liver abscesses biliary infection.


CONCLUSIONS
Hepatic artery stenosis after OLT can successfully be treated with stent placement and an early interventional treatment is the key for a good clinical outcome.
Huang
Ming-sheng
MS
Department of Radiology, Third Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510630, China.
Jiang
Zai-bo
ZB
Li
Zheng-ran
ZR
Guan
Shou-hai
SH
Zhu
Kang-shun
KS
Chen
Gui-hua
GH
Lu
Min-qiang
MQ
Shan
Hong
H
D000328:Adult; D003251:Constriction, Pathologic / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006083:Graft Occlusion, Vascular / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D006499:Hepatic Artery / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D016031:Liver Transplantation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015607:Stents; D014652:Vascular Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*