Hepatology Commons^™

Surgical And Oncological Outcomes Of Hepatic Resection For Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Report From A Low Volume Centre In A Developing Country, Muhammad Rizwan Khan, Saleema Begum, Muhammad Tayyab Ul Hasan Siddiqui

Section of General Surgery

Objective: To review the surgical and oncological outcomes of patients who underwent hepatic resection for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
Study design: Cohort study.
Place and duration of study: Department of Surgery of the Aga Khan University Hospital Karachi, from 2008 to 2019.
Methodology: Consecutive patients who underwent hepatic resection for HCC at the Hospital were included. The data were collected and analysed on aspects including demographics, liver function status, tumour characteristics, perioperative management, and surgical and oncological outcomes. Survival analyses were performed using the Kaplan-Meier method, and log-rank test was applied to determine the influence of variables on overall and disease-free …

Biochemical Testing For The Diagnosis Of Wilson's Disease: A Systematic Review, Hafiz Muhammad Salman, Mahwish Amin, Javaria Syed, Zouina Sarfraz, Azza Sarfraz, Muzna Sarfraz, Maria Jose Farfán Bajaña, Miguel Felix, Ivan Cherrez-Ojeda

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Background: Wilson's disease (WD) is a rare inherited disorder that leads to copper accumulation in the liver, brain, and other organs. WD is prevalent worldwide, with an occurrence of 1 per 30,000 live births. Currently, there is no gold standard diagnostic test for WD. The objective of this systematic review is to determine the diagnostic accuracy for WD of three biochemical tests, namely hepatic copper, 24-hour urinary copper, and ceruloplasmin using the Leipzig criteria.
Methods: Adhering to PRISMA guidelines, databases including PubMed/MEDLINE, CINAHL Plus, Web of Science, and Cochrane were searched. Studies that comprised of confirmed or suspected WD along …

Impact Of Compensated Cirrhosis On Survival In Patients With Acute-On-Chronic Liver Failure, Kessarin Thanapirom, Tongluk Teerasarntipan, Sombat Treeprasertsuk, Ashok Choudhury, Manoj K. Sahu, Rakhi Maiwall, Viniyendra Pamecha, Richard Moreau, Saeed Hamid, Amna Subhan Butt

Section of Gastroenterology

Background and aims: Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) is considered a main prognostic event in patients with chronic liver disease (CLD). We analyzed the 28-day and 90-day mortality in ACLF patients with or without underlying cirrhosis enrolled in the ACLF Research Consortium (AARC) database.
Methods: A total of 1,621 patients were prospectively enrolled and 637 (39.3%) of these patients had cirrhosis. Baseline characteristics, complications and mortality were compared between patients with and without cirrhosis.
Results: Alcohol consumption was more common in cirrhosis than non-cirrhosis (66.4% vs. 44.2%, p < 0.0001), while non-alcoholic fatty liver disease/cryptogenic CLD (10.9% vs 5.8%, p < 0.0001) and chronic HBV reactivation (18.8% vs 11.8%, p < 0.0001) were more common in non-cirrhosis. Only 0.8% of patients underwent liver transplantation. Overall, 28-day and 90-day mortality rates were 39.3% and 49.9%, respectively. Patients with cirrhosis had a greater chance of survival compared to those without cirrhosis both at 28-day (HR = 0.48; 95% CI 0.36-0.63, p < 0.0001) and 90-day (HR = 0.56; 95% CI 0.43-0.72, p < 0.0001), respectively. In alcohol CLD, non-cirrhosis patients had a higher 28-day (49.9% vs. 23.6%, p < 0.001) and 90-day (58.4% vs. 35.2%, p < 0.001) mortality rate than cirrhosis patients. ACLF patients with cirrhosis had longer mean survival than non-cirrhosis patients (25.5 vs. 18.8 days at 28-day and 65.2 vs. 41.2 days at 90-day). Exaggerated systemic inflammation might be the reason why non-cirrhosis patients had a poorer prognosis than those with cirrhosis after ACLF had occurred.
Conclusions: The 28-day and 90-day mortality rates of ACLF patients without cirrhosis were …

Health And Economic Benefits Of Achieving Hepatitis C Virus Elimination In Pakistan: A Modelling Study And Economic Analysis, Aaron G. Lim, Nick Scott, Josephine G. Walker, Saeed Hamid, Margaret Hellard, Peter Vickerman

Section of Gastroenterology

Background: Modelling suggests that achieving the WHO incidence target for hepatitis C virus (HCV) elimination in Pakistan could cost US$3.87 billion over 2018 to 2030. However, the economic benefits from integrating services or improving productivity were not included.
Methods and findings: We adapt a HCV transmission model for Pakistan to estimate the impact, costs, and cost-effectiveness of achieving HCV elimination (reducing annual HCV incidence by 80% by 2030) with stand-alone service delivery, or partially integrating one-third of initial HCV testing into existing healthcare services. We estimate the net economic benefits by comparing the required investment in screening, treatment, and healthcare …

Hepatitis E: Genotypes, Strategies To Prevent And Manage, And The Existing Knowledge Gaps, Lubna Kamani, Zahra Ali Padhani, Jai K. Das

Section of Gastroenterology

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is considered an emergent source of viral hepatitis worldwide, with an increasing burden of jaundice, liver failure, extrahepatic illnesses, and deaths in developed countries. With the scarcity of data from efficient animal models, there are still open-ended questions about designing new models to study pathogenesis, types, virology, and evolution of these viruses. With an emphasis on available data and updates, there is still enough information to understand the HEV life cycle, pathogen interaction with the host, and the valuation of the role of vaccine and new anti-HEV therapies. However, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the …

Malnutrition And Liver Disease In A Developing Country, Asra Tus Saleha Siddiqui, Om Parkash, Syeda Amrah Hashmi

Section of Gastroenterology

Malnutrition is a highly prevalent and under recognized condition in developing countries of South Asia. The presence of malnutrition causes a severe impact on patients with liver cirrhosis. The etiology of cirrhosis differs in the South Asian region compared to the West, with hepatitis B and C still being the leading causes and the prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease increasing over time. Comorbid malnutrition worsens outcomes for cirrhosis patients. Urgent attention to address malnutrition is needed to improve patient outcomes. The etiology and pathophysiology of malnutrition in liver diseases is multifactorial, as reduction in liver function affects both macronutrients …

Bedside Index (Bisap) V/S Ranson Scores In Predicting Mortality And Severity In Patients With Acute Pancreatitis, Nazir Najeeb Kapadia, Emaduddin Siddiqui

Department of Emergency Medicine

Objective: To determine the diagnostic accuracy of the bedside index for severity in acute pancreatitis in comparison with Ranson scores in predicting mortalities and severities in patients with acute pancreatitis.
Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted at the Department of Emergency Medicine, Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, from July 1, 2017, to January 1, 2018, and comprised patients who presented with acute pancreatitis. The bedside index for severity in acute pancreatitis score was applied in the emergency department and the patients were followed up in ward/intensive care unit where Ranson scores were calculated within the following 48 hours. Both the …

Impact Of Coronavirus Disease 2019 On Prevention And Elimination Strategies For Hepatitis B And Hepatitis C, Syed Tabish Rehman, Hareem Rehman, Shahab Abid

Section of Pulmonary & Critical Care

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has resulted in significant morbidity and mortality since its first case was discovered in December 2019. Since then, multiple countries have witnessed a healthcare system collapse due to the overwhelming demand for COVID-19 care. Drastic measures have been taken globally in order to curb the spread of the virus. However, those measures have led to the disruption of other aspects of healthcare, increasing the burden due to other medical conditions. We have also stepped back in achieving the ambitious goal set in place by World Health Organization to eliminate viral hepatitis as a public …

Updates On The Diagnosis And Management Of Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Aimun Raees, Muhammad Kamran, Hasan Özkan, Wasim Jafri

Section of Gastroenterology

Introduction: Globally, the incidence, as well as mortality, related to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is on the rise, owing to relatively few curative options. Underlying cirrhosis is the most common etiology leading to HCC, but risk factors of cirrhosis show great regional variability. Over the years, there has been a steady development in the diagnostic and therapeutic modalities of HCC, including the availability of a wide range of systemic chemotherapeutic agents. We aim to review the recent advancements in the diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for HCC.
Methodology: The literature search was done using databases PubMed, Cochrane, and Science Direct, and the …

Acute-On-Chronic Liver Failure: Consensus Recommendations Of The Asian Pacific Association For The Study Of The Liver (Apasl): An Update, Shiv Kumar Sarin, Ashok Choudhury, Manoj K. Sharma, Rakhi Maiwall, Mamun Al Mahtab, Salimur Rahman, Saeed Hamid, Amna S. Butt, Wasim Jafri, Zaigham Abbas

Section of Gastroenterology

The first consensus report of the working party of the Asian Pacific Association for the Study of the Liver (APASL) set up in 2004 on acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) was published in 2009. With international groups volunteering to join, the "APASL ACLF Research Consortium (AARC)" was formed in 2012, which continued to collect prospective ACLF patient data. Based on the prospective data analysis of nearly 1400 patients, the AARC consensus was published in 2014. In the past nearly four-and-a-half years, the AARC database has been enriched to about 5200 cases by major hepatology centers across Asia. The data published during …

Effect Of Stem Cell And Vitamin E For The Reduction Of Liver Fibrosis, Sulaiman Shams, Salman Khan, Muhammad Ayaz, Haider Ali Khan, Hammad Hassan

Centre for Regenerative Medicine & Stem Cell Research

Liver disease is seventh leading cause of death worldwide. In the past, liver transplantation was thought to be the only treatment for the last stage liver disease but currently stem cells therapy is an alternative method for the treatment of liver disease. So mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) transplantation is one of the best tool for treatment of liver disease. The aim of the current study was to investigate the combined effect of vitamin E (Vit E) and MSCs on liver fibrosis. Liver damage was induced in male albino mice intraperitoneally with carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) twice a week for six weeks. …

Bleeding In Locally Invasive Pelvic Malignancies: Is Hypofractionated Radiation Therapy A Safe And Effective Non-Invasive Option For Securing Hemostasis? A Single Institution Perspective, Muhammad Shuja, Saadiya Nazli, Muhammad Atif Mansha, Asif Iqbal, Reham Mohamed, Mutahir A. Tunio, Eyad F. Alsaeed, Mushabbab Asiri, Yasser Bayoumi

Department of Anaesthesia

Introduction: Control of bleeding due to locally invasive disease is of paramount importance in the management of cancer patients. This study was undertaken to explore the outcomes of palliative intent hypofractionated radiation therapy (HRT) in advanced stage pelvic malignancies that presented with bleeding. Methods: This study enrolled patients treated with palliative intent hypofractionated radiation therapy from July 2015 to November 2017. In the inclusion criteria, all these patients had the common presenting complaint of bleeding from the tumor. These patients were not treated with radiation therapy before for the same indication. Patients with known bleeding disorders and those undergoing parallel …

Hepatocellular Carcinoma In Native South Asian Pakistani Population; Trends, Clinico-Pathological Characteristics & Differences In Viral Marker Negative & Viral-Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Amna Subhan Butt1, Saeed Hamid, Ashfaq Ahmad Wadalawala, Mariam Ghufran, Ammar Asrar Javed, Omer Farooq, Bilal Ahmed, Tanveer Ul Haq, Wasim Jafri

Section of Gastroenterology

Background

HCC is the fifth most common cancer globally. Our study was conducted to (1)investigate the trends and clinico-pathological characteristics of Hepatocellular carcinoma among native South Asian patients in Pakistan, (2)to estimate the prevalence as well as the trends of viral marker negative HCC and (3) to compare the clinico-pathological, radiological characteristics, applicability of treatment at diagnosis and prognostic factors among patients with both viral marker negative and viral marker positive-HCC being consulted at Aga Khan University Hospital(AKUH), Karachi, Pakistan.

Method

Patients ≥18 years, already diagnosed to have HCC and visiting AKUH during 1999–2009 were identified using ICD code 1550. …

Experience Of Caregivers With The Survivors Of Hepatitis C, Noureen Shehzad Jiwani, Raisa B. Gul, Rubina Sultan

School of Nursing & Midwifery

Objectives: To assess and describe the experiences of those caring for hepatitis C patients in Karachi, Pakistan.

Methods: Using a qualitative approach, the study adopted a descriptive exploratory design for which 8 caregirers were selected through snowball sampling technique from different parts of Karachi. Data was collected between May and July 2010 through semi-structured interviews from the caregivers. The interviews were recorded on tape and were transcribed verbatim. The data was manually analysed for extracting themes and categories.

Results: The analyses of data led to one theme - \'deadly, dangerous, and devastating. Two associated categories could also be noted: \'perceptions …

Frequency Of Poor Quality Of Life And Predictors Of Health Related Quality Of Life In Cirrhosis At A Tertiary Care Hospital Pakistan, Om Parkash, Romaina Iqbal, Fatima Jafri, Iqbal Azam, Wasim Jafri

Section of Gastroenterology

Background

Cirrhosis produces variety of symptoms which eventually lead to a negative impact on Health Related Quality of Life (HRQOL). The general aim of this study was to evaluate the magnitude of poor HRQOL and to assess factors related with HRQOL in patients with CLD in Pakistan.

Findings

This was a cross sectional study conducted in gastroenterology outpatient clinics of Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi on adult patients with cirrhosis. In this study chronic liver disease questionnaire (CLDQ) was used to assess HRQOL of these patients and CLDQ score was used as an outcome measure to determine factors related with …

Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth And Lactose Intolerance Contribute To Irritable Bowel Syndrome Symptomatology In Pakistan, Javed Yakoob, Zaigham Abbas, Rustam Khan, Saeed Hamid, Safia Awan, Wasim Jafri

Department of Medicine

Background /Aim: The symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome resemble those of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO). The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of SIBO and lactose intolerance (LI) occurrence in Patients with diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D) according to Rome III criteria.

PatientS and Methods: In this retrospective case-control study, Patients over 18 years of age with altered bowel habit, bloating, and Patients who had lactose Hydrogen breath test (H 2 BT) done were included. The "cases" were defined as Patients who fulfill Rome III criteria for IBS-D, while "controls" were those having chronic nonspecific diarrhea …

A Silent Storm: Hepatitis C In Pakistan, Noureen Jiwani, Raisa B. Gul

School of Nursing & Midwifery

No abstract provided.

Triphasic Computed Tomography (Ct) Scan In Focal Tumoral Liver Lesions, Saima Hafeez, Muhammad Shahbaz Alam, Zafar Sajjad, Zahid Anwar Khan, Waseem Akhter, Fatima Mubarak

Department of Radiology

OBJECTIVE: To assess the diagnostic accuracy of triphasic spiral CT in differentiating benign from malignant focal tumoral liver lesions.

METHODS: The study was conducted in Department of Radiology of Aga Khan University Hospital and Sind Institute of Urology and Transplantation, Karachi from Feb 2006 to Feb 2007. By convenient sampling, 45 patients found to have focal tumoral liver lesions were recruited for one year period and their triphasic CT scans findings were evaluated and later correlated with histopathology. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and diagnostic accuracy of triphasic CT scan were calculated.

RESULTS: Among 45 patients, 136 …

Precipitating Factors Of Hepatic Encephalopathy In Patients With Chronic Liver Disease At Civil Hospital Karachi, Dileep K Rohra, Jaipal, Ameer A Khowaja, Khalid Mahmood, Kanya Lal Ahuja

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

No abstract provided.

Hepatic Angiosarcoma With Metastasis To Small Intestine, Zubair Ahmad, Azizun Nisa, Romana Idrees, Khurram Minhas, Shahid Pervez, Khalid Mumtaz

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Hepatic angiosarcomas are rare tumours with poor prognosis, with patients usually dying within 6 months. Metastases mainly occur in lymph nodes, spleen, lungs, bones and adrenals. Metastasis to small intestine is even rarer. Similarly, primary or metastatic angiosarcomas in small intestine are extremely rare, often present with recurrent gastrointestinal bleeding and anemia, and have an extremely poor prognosis. Both primary or metastatic intestinal angiosarcomas may exhibit epithelioid morphology. It may be very difficult to differentiate between primary and secondary cases in intestine and especially when the tumour exhibits epithelioid morphology.