Objective To investigate the risk factors for postoperative liver failure of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and bile duct tumor thrombus through a risk evaluation model.
Methods The clinical data of 107 patients with HCC and bile duct tumor thrombus who received hepatic resection at the Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital from March 2002 to February 2011 were retrospectively analyzed. All patients were divided into the nonliver failure group (98 patients) and liver failure group (9 patients). Risk factors associated with liver failure were analyzed and a risk evaluation model was established. All data were analyzed using the bivariate regression model, and factors with significance were further analyzed using the multivariate regression model.
Results Of the 107 patients, 105 received hepatic resection+choledochotomy+thrombectomy and 2 received hepatic resection+extrahepatic bile duct resection+cholangiojejunostomy. The operation time was 2.0-5.5 hours, and the intraoperative blood loss was 200-3500 ml. In the non-liver failure group, 5 patients had pleural and peritoneal effusion, 3 had biliary bleeding, 2 had incisional infection, 1 had biliary infection, 1 had bile leakage, 1 had stress-induced ulcer of upper digestive tract and 1 had thoracic epidural hematoma. The bleeding of the patients with thoracic epidural hematoma was stopped after thoracic spinal decompression, but subsequent paraplegia occurred. In the liver failure group, 2 patients died of postoperative acute liver failure, and 7 patients died of postoperative subacute liver failure (death caused by tumor recurrence or medicine was excluded). The results of univariate analysis showed that preoperative total bilirubin, albumin, prealbumin, albumin/globulin ratio, distribution of tumor thrombus, operative blood loss and ratio of postoperative residual liver volume to the total liver volume were correlated with the postoperative liver failure in patients with HCC and bile duct tumor thrombus (OR=3.017, 0.191, 0.248, 2.681, 9.048, 4.759, 13.714, P<0.05). The results of multivariate analysis showed that preoperative total bilirubin>256.5 μmol/L, albumin/globulin ratio≤1.3 and postoperative residual liver volume<50% were the independent risk factors of postoperative liver failure (OR=5.537, 11.107, 172.450, P<0.05). The risk evaluation model was Z=1.77×preoperative total bilirubin+2.408×preoperative albumin/globulin ratio+5.150×ratio of postoperative residual liver volume to the total liver volume-17.288. The risk of postoperative liver failure increased as the increase of Z value. The risk of postoperative liver failure>50% when the Z value>0. Conclusions Preoperative total bilirubin＞256.5μmol/L, albumin/globulin ratio≤1.3 and postoperative residual liver volume＜50% were the independent risk factors of postoperative liver failure. Risk evaluation model is helpful in screening the risk factors so as to decrease the incidence of postoperative liver failure.
DownLoad: