Hepatopancreaticobiliary Flashcards
Embryology of the liver
Endodermal origin
Blind tube (hepatic diverticulum) forms from foregut into ventral mesogastrium
Left and right buds form and become lobes
Enclosed within layers of the ventral mesogastrium
Umbilical vein (oxygenated) runs along caudal margin of ventral mesogastrium
Caudal surface anatomy of the liver
Anterior surface anatomy of the liver
Cuinaud segments
Venous supply and drainage of the liver
Liver receives 25% of cardiac output
portal vein provides 75% of hepatic inflow
50-70% of the overall oxygen requirement of the liver provided by portal vein
Drainage via the 3 (left, middle,right hepatic veins)
- caudate drains directly into IVC via several perforators
Relationship of the portal structures
Bile duct anterior right
Hepatic artery anterior left
Portal vein posterior
Aberrant anatomy of the hepatic artery
Normal is only present 60%
Biliary drainage of the caudate lobe
80% left and right
15% left only
5% right only
Variations in the cystic artery
Blood supply of the bile duct
From sup. pancreaticoduodenal and gastroduodenal arteries
Run on either side at the 3 and 9 o’clock positions
Poor segmental supply until close proximity to the liver where it is well supplied from hepatic supply
Innervation of the liver
Sympathetics
- T7-10
- through coeliac ganglia
Parasympathetic
- both vagal nerves
Describe the structure of a liver lobule
Central venule surrounded by 4-6 portal triads
Venous sinusoids
3 cell zones with enzymatic/functional differences between hepatocytes- depending on proximity to arterial/portal supply (and nutrients and oxygen)
Role of hepatic stellate cells in cirrhosis
Stellate cells located in the space of Disse
- store Vitamin A
- synthesise extracellular collagen and other ECM proteins
In acute and chronic injury stellate cells become activated to a myofibroblastic state
- abnormal deposition of ECM and collagen leads to loss of architecture of liver with fibrosis and ultimately cirrhosis
Substrates for gluconeogenesis
Lactate
Pyruvate
Glycerol
Propionate
Alanine
Basic physiologic functions of bile
- Excretion of waste products of metabolism
- Provide enteric bile salts to aid fat absorption
What are major organic solutes in bile
Bile acids
Bile pigments
Cholesterol
Phospholipids
Bile volume
1500ml/day although some texts also suggest more like 600ml/day
97% Water
Bile solutes and concentrations
Bile Salts
3 Salts
- Cholic acid 40%
- Chenodeoxycholic acid 40%
- Deoxycholic acid 20%
Produced in liver from cholesterol
Conjugated within hepatocytes with glycine or taurine
Secreted into bile
90% reabsorbed by hepatocytes and resecreted
This cycle constitutes the enterohepatic circulation
Excretion of bilirubin
- Breakdown product of heme
- Unconjugated binds to albumin
- Dissociates within space of Disse
- Uptake by hepatocytes
- Conjugated with Glucuronic acid
- Secreted into bile
- Deconjugated by bacteria to urobilinogens
Substrates for gluconeogenesis
Mostly from alanine from muscle breakdown
Some from glycerol from adipose
Ketogenesis
From fatty acids from adipose tissue
Beta oxidised in liver to form ketones
Lipid Metabolism
Balance of esterification vs oxidisation
Esterification with glycerol yeilds triglycerides for storage in adipocytes
Beta oxidation yeilds ATP and Ketone bodies
Protein metabolism
- Liver metabolises to any of glucose, ketones or lipids or oxidised for energy
- Oxidation yeilds nitrogenous waste products
- Nitrogenous waste converted to urea in urea cycle
- Excreted largely in urine
- Nitrogenous waste converted to urea in urea cycle
- Oxidation yeilds nitrogenous waste products
What pathway is primarily responsible for metabolism of drugs and toxins
Cytochrome p450
Histological findings of cirrhosis
Regenerating liver nodules surrounded by fibrous septae
Define portal hypertension
Portal pressure >5mmHg
Pressures of 8-10mmHg are generally required to cause collateralisation and portosystemic shunting
Pressures are measured by hepatic wedge pressure
Sites of portosystemic shunting
Oesophageal Varices
- flow predominantly from left gastric and coronary veins through distal oesophageal plexus to the azygous
Caput medusae
- recanalisation of umbilical vein
Retroperitoneal collaterals (of Retzius)
Rectal Varices
- Superior rectal (IMV) to inf. rectal (int. iliac)
Intrahepatic
Sinestral hypertension
Isolated splenic vein thrombosis
High splenic with normal SMV and portal pressures
Usually from mass or pancreatitis
Resultant portoportal collateral flow through gastroepiploic veins
- Predominantly left gastroepiploic
Isolated gastric varices without oesophageal varices
Curable with splenectomy
Pyogenic liver abscess epidemiology and risks
Uncommon (10 per 100000 admissions)
Male 1.5 : 1 female
Cirrhosis
Malignancy
Diabetes
CRF
Sphnicterotomy/hepaticoenterostomy
Biliary sepsis
Caroli disease
Rare
Autosomal dominant and recessive form exist (recessive is more severe)
Cystic dilatation of intrahepatic ducts
100 fold risk of cholangiocarcinoma vs gen. pop.
Colorectal cancer and pyogenic abscess
4 fold risk of colorectal cancer in liver abscess
Sources of pyogenic liver abscess
Portal vein
Biliary tree
Direct extension
Trauma
systemic (arterial)
Most commonly the exact cause is not identified
Distribution of hepatic abscesses
Right 75%
left 20%
Caudate 5%
Multiple abscesses are uncommon
Bacteriology of liver abscess
Portal/biliary source
- poly microbial
- high rate of gram negatives (E.coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae)
- Assume anaerobes (Bacteroides)
- Enterococci
Systemic (endocarditis, IVDU etc)
- Staph. aureaus, Strep. species
What microbial kingdoms may be implicated in liver abscesses
Bacterial- most common
Fungal
Mycobacterial
Amoebic
Parasitic (helminthic)
What is a rare complication of Klebsiella liver abscess
Endogenous endopthalmitis
esp. in diabetics
CT findings consistent with liver abscess
Hypodense central lesion with peripheral enhancement
Differentiating amoebic from pyogenic abscess
Entamoeba histolytica serology
Otherwise it can be difficult in an endemic area
Even aspiration unlikely to yeild the answer (may be culture negative)
Entamoeba histolytica and liver abscess
Amoebic
- Endemic in tropics and developing world
- Exists as cyst or trophozoite
- faeco-oral transmission
- Migrates through portal circulation
Causes liquefactive necrosis and subsequent abscess
- Glissons capsule is resistant to degradation
- Abscesses classically abut the capsule
Detectable by serology
Treatment is with metronidazole drainage is not needed
- classic appearance is of anchovy sauce (but odorless) if aspirated
Life cycle of Echinococci
Treatment of hydatid disease
- Treatment with Albendazole or albendazole induces cyst regression but resolution in <50%
- PAIR (puncture, aspiration, injection, reaspiration) is as good as surgery if single cyst with no daughter cysts
- Treat with Albendazole for 1 month afterward
- Surgery is still the treatment of choice for multiple cysts
- technique
- be prepared for anaphylaxis
- pack off the rest of the abdomen to reduce contamination
- expose the cyst, closed aspiration and scolicidal injection (hypertonic saline)
- leave the cyst open or excise it seem equivalent
- technique
Recurrent pyogenic cholangitis
Asian peoples, low socioeconomic status
young (age 20-40)
strictures and stones develope in the biliary tree
recurrent segmental cholangitis
Surgical clearance of stones and resection/plasty of strictures is treatment
Probably an increased risk of cholangiocarcinoma
Liver Cell Adenoma epidemiology
Rare
Frequently symptomatic (haemorrhage and necrosis)
Female 11 : 1 Male
Age 20-40
Associated with:
- steroid hormone use- esp OCP (30 fold)
- Obesity
Usually singular lesion, occasionally multiple (~20%)
Multiple lesions less associate with OCP and female sex
If it’s a man it should probably be resected
Risks of liver cell adenoma
- Rupture and haemorrhage
- ~ 30% risk
- All over 5cm when bleeding occurs
- Can be major haemorrhage with capsular rupture
- Manage with embolisation, stabilisation then resection
- Malignant transformation
- Low risk
- LCA with beta catenin activation are highest risk for transformation
- Develop into HCC
Liver cell adenoma imaging
CT Peripheral uptake with centripetal filling
MRI- well demarkated mass with fat and haemorhage
What is a liver cell adenoma
Benign proliferation of hepatocytes
Loss of normal architecture with no ducts seen on histology
Cords of hepatocytes with increased glycogen and fat
Liver cell adenoma management
In a man: probably resect any size
In a woman:
- If OCP associated- consider stop OCP and observe
- 5cm is a reasonable guideline
- <5cm observe
- >5cm Resect
Balance is of risk of rupture and HCC vs resection
FNH imaging:
CT
CT- multiphase is ideal
- usually hypoattenuating
- rapid hyperenhancement on arterial phase with central stellate scar
- isodense on portal and delayed phases with delayed enhancement of the central scar
FNH epidemiology and histology
Common (2nd most common benign after haemangioma)
Very strong in F:M preponderance
Benign cellular proliferation with fibrous septa around a central scar, often a large central artery within the central scar
If it’s a man be dubious thats it’s actually an FNH
Haemangioma epidemiology and histology
Most common benign liver solid lesion
Female 5 : 1 male
Vascular malformation- enlarge by ectasia rather than proliferation.
Consist of endothelially lined cavernous blood filled spaces
Can bleed
No malignant potential
Kasabach Merritt syndrome
Rare complication of giant liver haemangiomas
Thrombocytopaenia and consumptive coagulopathy
Haemangioma imaging
Look at the blood pool, haemangiomas are an extension of this
- Non contrast- density of blood- (lower than liver)
- Arterial phase- density of aorta
- peripheral nodular enhancement pattern.
- Portal phase- density of portal vein
Liver haemangiomas in children
Large haemangiomas can cause massive haemodynamic demand and CHF from shunting.
High mortality if left untreated
Small lesions can still be observed
Consider embolisation of large lesions
name rare benign solid liver lesions
Most are haemangiomas, adenomas or FNH.
Others:
- Macroregenerative nodules (in cirrhotics, have malignant potential)
- Nodular regenerative hyperplasia
- Mesenchymal hamartomas (paeds)
- Lipomas
- AML
- Myelolipomas
- Angiolipomas
HCC risk factors
Chronic hepatitis
- Hepatitis B
- Hepatitis C
Metabolic liver diseases
- Haemochromatosis
- Apha 1 antitrypsin defiency
- Wilson’s disease
Cirrhosis
- Alcoholic
- PBC
HCC characteristics on CT
Blood supply is prodominantly from the hepatic artery
- Rapid contrast enhancement in late arterial phase
- Early washout of contrast
- May leave a capsule like area of enhancement on portal venous phasing
- Occasionally have central scar (which does not then have late enhancement as for FNH)
HCC pathology and variants
Metastasises to lung, bone and peritoneum
Classically aggressive
Path/histo variants include:
- hanging (pedunculated)
- pushing type
- infiltrative type
- multifocal type
- fibrolamellar type
- young patients without cirrhosis- better prognosis
- mixed HCC/cholangiocarcinoma
- clear cell
Treatment options in HCC
Patients have 2 diseases
- balance of malignancy vs liver function/reserve
- Resection
- many scoring systems but Childs Pugh is important
- A- ok
- B- maybe- individualise
- C- No
- many scoring systems but Childs Pugh is important
- Transplant
- Ablation
- TACE
- Radiotherapy
- Systemic
- TKI
- Resection
Prognostic factors in HCC
Tumour size
Cirrhosis
infiltrative pattern
Lack of capsule
Mets
Multifocal tumours/intrahepatic mets
Margin <1cm
Transplant criteria for HCC and cirrhosis
Milan criteria
- single tumour <5cm, or
- up to three tumours, each smaller than 3cm, and
- no gross vascular invasion
UCSF (Uni of Cali, San Fran.)
- used by Transplant society of Aus and NZ
- Single tumour <6.5cm, or
- up to three tumours with
- largest lesion <4.5cm, and
- sum of tumour diameters <8cm
Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma imaging
Dilated ducts peripheral to tumour
hypoattenuating on non contrast
low peripheral enhancement on arterial
gradual centripetal filling on delayed
Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma risks
viral
- Hep a,b
- HIV
- EBV
PSC
Caroli’s
Cholangitis
- recurrent pyogenic
- choledocholithiasis
Name rare liver solid primary malignancies
Sarcomas
Lymphomas
Hepatoblastomas
Hepatic mets on imaging
hypoattentuating on non contrast
Enhancing less than surrounding liver on contrast
washout on delayed phase
Poor predictors of prognosis in liver metastectomy
CEA >200
size >5cm
recurrence <1 year from resection of primary
Multiple tumours
LN positive primary