Liver Cirrhosis Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Liver Cirrhosis, including details on alcohol, treatment, drugs, effects, causes.

507 Warren-Zeppa distal splenorenal shunts: a 34-year experience.

Livingstone AS, Koniaris LG, Perez EA, Alvarez N, Levi JU, Hutson DG

Dewitt Daughtry Family Department of Surgery, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, USA. alivings@med.miami.edu

OBJECTIVE: To define the long-term characteristics, prognostic factors, and outcomes of patients undergoing selective splenorenal shunting procedures for portal hypertension-induced recurrent upper gastrointestinal bleeding. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective evaluation of a prospectively collected data set. RESULTS: From June 1971 through May 2005, 507 Warren-Zeppa shunts were performed at a single institution. Indications included: alcoholic cirrhosis, 52.6%; viral cirrhosis, 21.8%; cryptogenic cirrhosis, 8.4%; autoimmune cirrhosis, 5.8%; and other causes, 6.3%. Median survival was 81 months (5-year survival, 58.9%; 10-year survival, 34.4%; 20-year survival, 12.5%). patients with portal vein thrombosis and biliary cirrhosis demonstrated better survival than others (P = 0.03), while patients with alcoholic cirrhosis trended toward worse survival than those with nonalcoholic causes (P = 0.11). Multivariate analysis of preoperative risk factors found body hair loss (hazard ratio, 17.3; P > 0.005), preoperative encephalopathy (hazard ratio, 1.93; P > 0.003), diuretic use (hazard ratio, 1.43; P > 0.003), and age (hazard ratio, 1.02 per year of age; P > 0.051) were independent predictors of poor long-term survival. Multivariate analysis of operative factors demonstrated blood loss <500 mL was predictive of up to a 4-fold improved long-term survival (hazard ratio, 3.95; P < 0.013). Postoperative complications included: recurrent bleeding, 12%; ascites, 17.5%; and encephalopathy, 13.9%. Multivariate analysis of postoperative factors prospectively collected in 130 patients found that alcoholic recidivism (hazard ratio, 2.66; P > 0.001) was the only independent predictor of poor prognosis. CONCLUSIONS: The Warren-Zeppa shunt provides long-term survival and control of bleeding in most patients with portal hypertension. Excellent long-term survival can be obtained in properly selected patients with portal hypertension and relatively spared hepatic function.

Published 14 June 2006 in Ann Surg, 243(6): 884-92; discussion 892-4.
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