title: [Prognostic index of acute hepato-cellular damage].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Fulminant hepatic failure is the end result of many different acute damage to the liver. In the present study we compared the clinical to the experimental experience and we postulated the usage of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor in the clinical arena as a potential treatment in alternative to liver transplantation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twelve patient diagnosed with fulminat hepatic failure have been enclosed in the present study. Each patient underwent trans-jugular liver biopsy in order to assess the degree of liver necrosis as well as the following biochemical investigation: AST ALT, Total Bilirubin, _gt, alkaline phosphatase, prothrombin time.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-five percent of those patients required support in the Intensive Care Unit without need for transplantation. Forty-one percent of those patients underwent liver transplantation, and 36% of them died before the liver become available. These results were compared with an experiment, previously performed by our group, where 260 rats were poisoned with CCl4 and subsequently treated with Vascula Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The rate of the hepatic regeneration has been found to be critical in the prognosis of patients diagnosed with fulminant hepatic failure.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Chirurgia Sezione di Chirurgia Generale e Fisiopatologia Chirurgica, Università di Catania.
authors.forename: Cataldo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Doria
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Nicotra
authors.forename: Grazia Maria
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: D'Antona
authors.forename: Salvatore
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Travali
authors.forename: Angelo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Messina
authors.forename: Ignazio
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Marino
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gruttadauria
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D017114:Liver Failure, Acute / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011379:Prognosis; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A