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Biomedical subjects

M Makuuchi

Publications and source records attributed to M Makuuchi.

At least 181 records · Page 10Linked to original sources

Anterior transhepatic approach for isolated resection of the caudate lobe of the liver.

We have devised a new technique for isolated caudate lobe resection in which we access the caudate lobe by separating the liver parenchyma along the interlobar plane. The safety and radicality of the procedure were evaluated in five patients: four with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and one with metastatic rectal cancer. All of the tumors were located mainly in the paracaval portion of the caudate lobe. The patients with HCC (three of four) underwent an anatomic caudate lobe resection by identification of the right margin of the caudate lobe. Two patients required red blood cell transfusion, and one showed bile leakage after surgery. All of the patients are alive without recurrence more than 4 years after surgery, except one with rectal carcinoma who developed lung metastases. The anterior transhepatic approach is a safe and potentially curative surgical option for a tumor in the paracaval portion of the caudate lobe.

Aged↗

A comparative study of the anatomy of rat and human livers.

To compare the fundamental structure of the human liver, in relation to that of the rat a comparative study was performed, in which 20 rat livers and 78 human cadaver livers were examined. The rat livers had four lobes (left, middle, right, and caudate). The left and middle lobes formed a single lobe but the middle lobe had a deep notch to which the round ligament attached. The right lobe was split into two sub-lobes and the caudate lobe was divided into the paracaval portion and the Spiegel lobe, which was split into two sub-lobes. The left, right, and caudate lobes had one primary portal branch, whereas the middle lobe had two portal branches. The left and the right sub- and caudate lobes had one large hepatic vein each, whereas three large hepatic veins were observed in the middle lobe. Based on the ramifying patterns of the portal and hepatic veins, the rat middle lobe possessed left and right hepatic components and a main portal fissure. The following rat hepatic lobes were equivalent to the following human liver segments: the left lobe to segment II; the middle lobe to segments III, IV, V, and VIII; and the right lobe to segments VI and VII. The fundamental structures of rat and human livers were similar, and the findings demonstrated a new interpretation of the anatomy of the human liver.

Animals↗

Technical advances in living-related liver transplantation.

Since it was first reported in 1989, living-related liver transplantation (LRLT) has developed, and up to April, 1998, over 800 LRLTs had been performed worldwide. The past few years have seen considerable technical advances in LRLT, including selective vascular occlusion techniques for donor hepatectomy, arterial reconstruction using microscopy, and the introduction of intraoperative ultrasound and graft volume estimation, using the concept of standard liver volume, which have enabled LRLT to be extended to adult recipients. Successful results have led to LRLT becoming an indispensable modality to overcome the shortage of cadaveric liver grafts in Western countries. In places where transplantation of organs from brain-dead donors is rarely practiced, such as in most Asian countries, LRLT is the only means of saving patients with end-stage liver disease who otherwise would have no chance of survival. LRLT is now globally accepted as an effective liver transplantation modality.

Adult↗

First case of cadaveric liver transplantation in Japan.

The first case of liver transplantation from a brain-dead donor in Japan is described. The recipient was a 43-year-old man with familial amyloid polyneuropathy who manifested various neuropathic symptoms and autonomic dysfunction at the time of transplantation. The graft had three arteries, for which a single trunk was created at the back table. A side-to-side cavacaval anastomosis was performed as an outflow reconstruction. To avoid portal congestion, a temporary shunt between the right posterior branch of the portal vein and the vena cava was constructed, instead of a venovenous bypass. The graft preservation time was 7.2 h and the operation time was 12.2 h. Although sufficient blood flow in the hepatic artery, portal vein, and hepatic vein was confirmed intra- and postoperatively, using Doppler ultrasound, transient graft dysfunction was observed immediately after surgery, but there was spontaneous improvement. The patient was discharged 100 days after transplantation.

Adult↗

A new technical aspect of ultrasound-guided liver surgery.

Nowadays, resective hepatic surgery should be considered an echo-guided surgical procedure to guarantee that effective anatomical resection is accomplished. We describe a simple and original technique guided by intraoperative ultrasonography (IOUS), called the hooking technique, that enables the ligation sites of the intrahepatic vessels during systematic segmentectomy to be chosen precisely. Together with other IOUS-guided techniques described previously, the hooking technique provides a further guarantee for the successful execution of anatomical and radical liver resection.

Hepatectomy↗

Evaluation of serum uric acid changes in different forms of hepatic vascular inflow occlusion in human liver surgeries.

Uric acid values in serum have been analyzed as one of the markers to predict cellular damage due to ischemia reperfusion injury in the field of organ transplantation. The present study was conducted to confirm that uric acid values in serum could be an efficient marker of ischemic injury of liver parenchyma following hepatic vascular occlusion in human liver surgery. The changes in serum uric acid values were analyzed at fixed intervals during different liver surgeries. Significant increases in serum uric acid values were observed in patients who received the Pringle's maneuver in which hepatic vascular inflow was manipulated with a repetition of 15 min occlusion and 5 min perfusion, whereas almost no changes in uric acid values were found in both groups of patients who received the hemilobal occlusion of the Glisson's triad in which the right or left vessels were manipulated with a repetition of 30 min occlusion and 5 min perfusion and the "control method" in which the hepatic vessels of the lesion side were previously cut before liver resection. Uric acid values in serum increased in patients of Pringle's maneuver compared to those of the hemilobal occlusion of the Glisson's triad and the control method though these procedures were used in larger hepatectomies rather than Pringle's maneuver. The results indicated that serum uric acid values do not always reflect the severity of ischemia of the liver parenchyma but reflect intestinal congestion because marked intestinal congestion was observed in patients of Pringle's maneuver but not in patients of the hemilobal occlusion of the Glisson's triad and the control method. The evaluation of the severity of the ischemic injury of the liver should be done with caution when uric acid is used as a marker in human liver surgery.

Adolescent↗

Inhibitory effects of trapidil on PDGF signaling in balloon-injured rat carotid artery.

Trapidil, which was originally developed as an anti-platelet agent, is among the few agents thus far proven to be clinically effective in preventing restenosis after percutaneous coronary interventions. Trapidil was previously shown to inhibit platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-induced cellular responses in vitro in cultured cells. However, its mechanism of action is poorly understood. In this study, we investigated by using a rat carotid balloon-injury model whether and how trapidil inhibited the in vivo action of PDGF, which is regarded as a most important growth factor implicated in proliferation and migration of vascular smooth muscle cells. The combination of both oral and topical administration of trapidil reduced the intimal lesion size by more than 70% and nearly completely suppressed injury-induced increases in phosphotyrosine content of PDGF alpha- and beta- receptors of carotid artery. Moreover, trapidil was found to decrease mRNA levels of PDGF alpha- and beta- receptors strongly and of PDGF A- and B- chains moderately in injured arteries. These results indicate that trapidil potently suppresses the action of PDGF with inhibition of neointima formation in injured artery, which is mediated at least in part through decreasing the expression of both PDGF ligands and their receptors.

Angioplasty, Balloon↗

Targeting endogenous platelet-derived growth factor B-chain by adenovirus-mediated gene transfer potently inhibits in vivo smooth muscle proliferation after arterial injury.

Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), especially its B chain, has been implicated in the pathogenesis of vascular proliferative disorders such as atherosclerosis and restenosis after angioplasty. We constructed a replication-deficient recombinant adenovirus containing the gene encoding the extracellular region of PDGF beta-receptor (PDGFXR) that binds PDGF-B chain and acts as its antagonist. The administration into balloon-injured rat carotid arteries of an adenovirus containing the Escherichia coli lacZ gene as a marker gene at 5 days after injury markedly facilitated efficacy of gene transfer, as compared with its administration immediately after injury. Adenovirus-mediated gene transfer of PDGFXR into injured arteries performed at 5 days resulted in a more than 50% reduction in the neointimal area of injured arteries at 14 days. In contrast, the administration of control adenoviruses containing lacZ gene or containing no foreign gene was without suppressive effects on neointima formation. The inhibition of neointima formation by the expression of PDGFXR was accompanied by a reduction in bromodeoxyuridine-labeled cells and nearly complete inhibition of tyrosine phosphorylation of both alpha- and beta-receptors for PDGF, but not of epidermal growth factor receptor, in injured arteries. This is the first report to indicate the usefulness of targeting a growth factor by expressing an extracellular binding region of a receptor using an adenovirus for the treatment of vascular proliferative disorders, and provide direct evidence that PDGF-B chain plays an essential role in neointimal formation.

Adenoviridae↗

Rescue of liver grafts from hepatic artery occlusion in living-related liver transplantation.

BACKGROUND: Hepatic artery thrombosis after liver transplantation remains a significant cause of graft loss and death. Retransplantation is a difficult option after living-related liver transplantation in Japan. METHODS: Twenty-seven patients underwent living-related liver transplantation with left-sided liver grafts donated from their relatives. The hepatic artery was anastomosed end to end under a surgical microscope. Anticoagulant therapy was maintained for 2 weeks after operation. Routine post-transplant Doppler ultrasonography together with serum blood tests were performed twice a day during the first 2 weeks. RESULTS: Three patients developed hepatic artery occlusion, which was identified by routine Doppler ultrasonography before the serum transaminase values increased on days 7, 7 and 3 after surgery respectively. In two of the three patients, no apparent arterial thrombosis was recognized and vasospasm was therefore considered to be the cause of the occlusion. Arterial patency was restored by urgent revascularization with reanastomosis in all patients, but one patient with a functional graft died from a cerebral haemorrhage on day 47. CONCLUSION: Early diagnosis of hepatic artery occlusion by routine Doppler ultrasonography and revascularization of the graft is an indispensable strategy for preventing graft loss after living-related liver transplantation.

Adolescent↗