Title a new simplified technique of arterial reconstruction in pediatric living-donor liver transplantation: a comparison with the classical technique authors: ana cristina aoun tannuri, roberta figueiredo monteiro, maria mercês santos, helena thie miyatani and uenis tannuri citation: journal of pediatric surgery 49 (2014) 1518¿1521; http://dx.Doi.Org/10.1016/j.Jpedsurg.2014.02.084 the aim of this retrospective comparative study was to compare the incidence of complications and operative time between arterial reconstructions that was performed with an operating microscope and the classical technique of 9-0 separate sutures and arterial reconstruction which was performed using a simpler technique, with surgical loupe and continuous 8-0 prolene sutures in two pediatric living donor liver transplantation (ldlt) series.From january 2010 to june 2013, 82 ldlts were performed, 38 in the first period and 44 in the second period.During the procedure, the orifices of the hepatic veins were closed with continuous 5-0 prolene sutures and a wide longitudinal incision at the anterior wall of the inferior vena cava was created.The liver graft was positioned normally, without any rotation, and a wide longitudinal anastomosis was easily performed using two long lines of continuous 5-0 prolene sutures.In patients in the first period, the arterial reconstruction was performed using an operating microscope (model opmi 6-sfc, (b)(4)), with interrupted 9-0 monofilament polypropylene sutures (ethilon; ethicon inc., (b)(4)), according to the classical descriptions.In patients in the second period, the arterial reconstruction was performed with continuous suture using 8-0 monofilament polypropylene sutures and a 3.5× magnification loupe.The other 8-0 monofilament polypropylene suture was then placed on the left corner of the wall of both the recipient and graft arteries; then the suture was continued to the right corner of the anastomosis.The anastomosis between the graft and the donor artery was similarly performed with 8-0 running sutures.The occurrence of postoperative hepatic artery thrombosis, in the first period, two cases were observed.The diagnosis was suggested only by the ultrasound examination in the first postoperative day.These patients underwent urgent surgical re-exploration that confirmed the diagnosis, and a re-anastomosis was performed, with thrombosis relapse.Both patients died of sepsis: one patient died before the re-transplantation, and the other died after the procedure.In conclusion, hepatic artery anastomosis can be safely performed by the pediatric transplant surgeon with continuous sutures using a 3.5× magnifying loupe, with low complication rates.This technique is simpler, less time consuming and simplifies the complex pediatric ldlt procedure.
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