Rapid Recovery from Acute Liver Failure Secondary to Pancreatoduodenectomy-Related Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis

This report describes a case of liver failure secondary to pancreatoduodenectomy and rapid recovery following treatment. A 68-year-old woman with cancer on the ampulla of Vater underwent surgery for pancreatoduodenectomy. The patient developed liver failure 3 months postsurgically. She was hospitali...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Kazushige Nirei, Norikazu Ogihara, Wataru Kawamura, Woodea Kang, Mitsuhiko Moriyama
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Karger Publishers 2013-01-01
Series:Case Reports in Gastroenterology
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.karger.com/Article/FullText/347154
Description
Summary:This report describes a case of liver failure secondary to pancreatoduodenectomy and rapid recovery following treatment. A 68-year-old woman with cancer on the ampulla of Vater underwent surgery for pancreatoduodenectomy. The patient developed liver failure 3 months postsurgically. She was hospitalized after presenting with jaundice, hypoalbuminemia and decreased serum zinc. Computed tomography (CT) of the abdomen showed a reduction in CT attenuation values postoperatively. We suspected fatty liver due to impaired absorption caused by pancreatoduodenectomy. We initiated treatment with branched-chain amino acids and a zinc formulation orally. Trace elements were administered intravenously. Two months after treatment, there was a noticeable improvement in CT findings. The patient’s jaundice and hypoalbuminemia prompted a liver biopsy, which led to a diagnosis of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis.
ISSN:1662-0631