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Recurrent Hepatitis C After Living Donor Liver Transplantation Detected by Tc-99m GSA Liver Scintigraphy

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Abstract

Recurrence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) after living donor liver transplantation was investigated using technetium-99m- diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid-galactosyl human serum albumin (Tc-99m-GSA) liver scintigraphy. Four patients with decompensated cirrhosis due to HCV infection were retrospectively reviewed in this study. Scintigraphy was performed to determine the hepatic uptake ratio of the tracer corrected for disappearance from the blood, as well as the maximal removal rate of the tracer by hepatocytes, as parameters of hepatic functional reserve. In all patients, serum HCV ribonucleic acid (RNA) was detected 3 months after transplantation. The corrected hepatic uptake ratio and removal rate showed little change after transplantation in two patients without the recurrence of HCV infection. In another two patients, these levels were decreased at 3 months after transplantation. In one patient, recurrent HCV infection was diagnosed by confirmatory histologic examination at 12 months after transplantation. In the other patient, both levels declined further at 8 months. Although treatment was initiated with a combination of interferon plus ribavirin, this patient died of progressive hepatic failure. In conclusion, a decrease in scintigraphic parameters at 3 months after transplantation suggests recurrent HCV infection affecting the graft. Tc-99m-GSA liver scintigraphy is a useful noninvasive method for evaluating graft functional reserve.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery, Kansai Medical University, 10-15 Fumizonocho, Moriguchi, Osaka, 570-8507, Japan

    Masaki Kaibori, Yoichiro Uchida, Morihiko Ishizaki, Takeshi Hijikawa, Takamichi Saito, Atsushi Imamura & Yasuo Kamiyama

  2. Department of Radiology, Kansai Medical University, 10-15 Fumizonocho, Moriguchi, Osaka, 570-8507, Japan

    Sang Kil Ha-Kawa

  3. Third Department of Internal Medicine, Kansai Medical University, 10-15 Fumizonocho, Moriguchi, Osaka, 570-8507, Japan

    Junko Hirohara

  4. Department of Pathology, Kansai Medical University, 10-15 Fumizonocho, Moriguchi, Osaka, 570-8507, Japan

    Yoshiko Uemura

  5. Insitute of Biomedical Research and Innovation, Foundation of Biomedical Research and Innovation, 2-2 Minatojima-Minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe, 650-0047, Japan

    Koichi Tanaka

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  1. Masaki Kaibori
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  2. Sang Kil Ha-Kawa
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  3. Yoichiro Uchida
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  4. Morihiko Ishizaki
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  5. Takeshi Hijikawa
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  6. Takamichi Saito
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  7. Atsushi Imamura
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  8. Junko Hirohara
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  9. Yoshiko Uemura
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  10. Koichi Tanaka
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  11. Yasuo Kamiyama
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Correspondence to Masaki Kaibori.

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Kaibori, M., Ha-Kawa, S.K., Uchida, Y. et al. Recurrent Hepatitis C After Living Donor Liver Transplantation Detected by Tc-99m GSA Liver Scintigraphy. Dig Dis Sci 51, 2013–2017 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10620-006-9534-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10620-006-9534-1

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