Cheng-Maw Ho

Cheng-Maw Ho
National Taiwan University Hospital · Department of Surgery

MD, PhD

About

163
Publications
19,930
Reads
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1,449
Citations
Introduction
I have been involved in both basic and clinical research, mostly derived from patient-driven scientific inquiry and investigation. The research interests include acute liver failure, liver regeneration, liver cancer, cell therapy, and liver transplantation. The clinical interests include minimally invasive liver surgery; surgical technique refinement, planning, and education; liver cancer, and liver transplantation.
Additional affiliations
August 2018 - present
National Taiwan University Hospital
Position
  • Professor (Associate)
February 2014 - July 2018
National Taiwan University Hospital
Position
  • Professor (Assistant)
September 2012 - December 2012
Iwate Medical University
Position
  • Clinical Fellow

Publications

Publications (163)
Article
Introduction Recently, more and more total pancreatectomy (TP) has been performed for central-located pancreatic ductal cell adenocarcinoma (PDCA) which abuts or involves both gastroduodenal and splenic arteries and demands transaction of both of them for a complete resection. Spiked by Warshaw’s procedure (spleen-preserving distal pancreatectomy w...
Article
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Background Wailitst lost is an critical issue and we investigated the long-term effect of insufficient liver functional reserve at liver transplantation evaluation on waitlist outcomes in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods Clinical data of patients with HCC waitlisted for liver transplantation were retrospectively collected from...
Article
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The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused significant morbidity and mortality. Spike messenger RNA (mRNA)–based vaccines against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 may contribute to immune-mediated injuries. Here we present a case of a previously healthy 47-year-old man, who developed progressive jaundice 2 weeks afte...
Article
The 2023 Joint Annual Congress of the International Liver Transplantation Society, European Liver and Intestine Transplant Association, and Liver Intensive Care Group of Europe were held in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, from May 3 to 6, 2023. This year, all speakers were invited to attend the Congress in person for the first time since the COVID-19 p...
Article
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Background Several factors are associated with increased postoperative complications after appendectomies. However, few studies combined these potential factors for comprehensive prediction of surgical outcomes. Whether high-risk patients benefit from a shorter waiting time for surgery remains unclear. This study aimed to explore the impact of surg...
Article
Background and aim: This study aimed to investigate the survival outcomes of antiviral agents (direct-acting antivirals [DAAs] or interferon [IFN]) in patients with hepatitis C virus who underwent liver resection for primary hepatocellular carcinoma. Methods: This retrospective single-center study included 247 patients, between 2013 and 2020, be...
Article
Background: The impact of viral background on long-term effectiveness of different treatment modalities for recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was not fully analyzed. Method: Consecutive 726 patients who developed intrahepatic recurrence after primary hepatectomy for HCC between 2008 and 2015 were retrospectively studied. Post-recurrence s...
Preprint
Full-text available
Background The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused significant morbidity and mortality. Spike messenger RNA (mRNA)–based vaccines against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 may contribute to immune-mediated injuries. Here we present a case of marked cholangiopathy with multiorgan injury and investigate the potential...
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Background The core principle of HyFlex (‘hybrid’ and ‘flexible’) learning is to maintain learning equity under most circumstances. Within a blended framework in precision medical education, how different preferences of synchronous learning environment influence learning process and outcome is limited. We investigated students’ preclass online vide...
Article
Background: Sarcopenia is a common finding in patients with decompensated cirrhosis without effective therapy. We aimed to examine whether a transjugular portosystemic shunt (TIPS) could improve the abdominal muscle mass assessed by cross-sectional images in patients with decompensated cirrhosis and to investigate the association of imaging-define...
Article
Background: Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a rare disease in Asia, and few studies have investigated the disease in this ethnicity, particularly in wait-listed patients for liver transplantation (LT). We aimed to investigate the prognostic factors and outcomes of wait-listed patients with PSC in an Asian transplant center. Methods: Surv...
Article
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Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fourth most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related death in Taiwan. The Taiwan Liver Cancer Association and the Gastroenterological Society of Taiwan developed and updated the guidelines for HCC management in 2020. In clinical practice, we follow these guidelines and the reimbursement poli...
Article
Background To investigate the changes in transplantability between primary and recurrent Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after hepatic resection (HR) and the risk factors for nontransplantable recurrence (NTR). Methods Consecutive 3122 patients who received HR for primary HCC between 2001 and 2019 were analyzed for changes in transplantability. Pre...
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Background Lung transplantation is a therapeutic option for patients with end-stage lung disease. However, the increase in organ demand has surpassed the number of donors, with many patients unable to outlive the long waiting period. This study aimed to assess mortality and its risk factors in patients on the waiting list for lung transplantation i...
Article
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Purpose Liver transplantation (LT) is the definite curative treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but recurrence can occur even under stringent criteria. “Delayed” HCC recurrence (>3 years after LT) is not common. Here, we present the clinical features of patients who developed delayed HCC recurrence after LT. Patients and Methods We revie...
Article
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Background: The live donor liver transplantation (LDLT) process is circuitous and requires a considerable amount of coordination and matching in multiple aspects that the literature does not completely address. From the coordinators’ perspective, we systematically analyzed the time and risk factors associated with interruptions in the LDLT process....
Article
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Background: A student's level of curiosity in a subject after learning about it through online videos has not been addressed well in the medical education field. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to investigate online learning's effect on the stimulation of curiosity and short-term learning outcomes in a blended framework of precision medic...
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Background: Many clinicians and surgeons are unfamiliar with the sclerosing angiomatoid nodular transformation (SANT), which is gaining recognition as a benign splenic tumor. We challenge that SANT is rare and whether surgical intervention could be avoided through critical imaging review. Aim: To evaluate the incidence of SANT among splenic tumo...
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Background: Anti-tuberculous (TB) medications are common causes of drug-induced liver injury (DILI). Limited data are available on systemic inflammatory mediators as biomarkers for predicting DILI before treatment. We aimed to select predictive markers among potential candidates and to formulate a predictive model of DILI for TB patients. Methods...
Preprint
Full-text available
Background: Several factors are considered to be associated with increased postoperative complications after appendectomies, yet whether high-risk patients benefit from a shorter waiting time for surgery remains unclear. This study aimed to propose an appendicitis prognostic score (APS) for predicting surgical outcome and assessing the influence of...
Article
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Introduction: The success of immunotherapy for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) suggest that immune dysregulation occurs in HCC patients. This warrants an immuno-oncological risk assessment in the platform of liver transplantation. Methods: This retrospective single-center study analyzed risk factors for-particularly cross-matching p...
Article
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Background: The complex isolation and purification process of hepatocytes for transplantation is labor intensive and with great contamination risk. Here, as a pilot and feasibility study, we examined in vitro and in vivo hepatocyte isolation feasibility and cell function of Cell Saver® Elite®, an intraoperative blood-cell-recovery system. Methods...
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With the advent of the age of Artificial Intelligence (AI), we seek to consider how AI could shape clinical examinations, specifically Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs). OSCEs, whilst having its own limitations, could be further enhanced with new technologies like AI to help better assess and prepare our future clinicians. With the...
Article
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Background Amiodarone is an antiarrhythmic drug that has been recognized to induce hepatotoxicity. We report a case of acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) in a patient who was receiving amiodarone for more than 2 years. The patient developed cirrhosis and suppurative microabscesses of the liver and died of progressive liver failure. Case present...
Article
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Surgical resection is the first-line curative treatment modality for resectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Anatomical resection (AR), described as systematic removal of a liver segment confined by tumor-bearing portal tributaries, may improve survival by reducing the risk of tumor recurrence compared with non-AR. In this article, we propose th...
Article
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Tacrolimus is the most widely used immunosuppressant in liver transplant (LT) patients. However, the ideal long-term target level for these patients is unknown. This retrospective study aimed to investigate the impact of tacrolimus blood concentration five years after LT on long-term patient survival outcomes in adult LT recipients. Patients who un...
Article
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Background Survival after post-transplant recurrence of HCC is dismal, and almost all treatments for recurrent HCC are off-labeled, without an extensive large-scale analysis. We aimed to delineate their post-recurrence courses and define benchmarks for comparing future treatment effectiveness. Methods Three national databases, including health ins...
Article
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Background Online video learning has been gaining substantial attention in medical education. The purpose of the study was to evaluate medical students’ online video-viewing patterns as well as to identify features associated with their class style preferences in precision medicine courses. Methods A mixed methods research design was used. Part of...
Article
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Background The success of immunotherapy for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) suggests that immune dysregulation occurs in HCC patients. This warrants an immuno-oncological risk assessment in the platform of liver transplantation. Methods This retrospective single-center study analyzed risk factors for—particularly cross-matching perfor...
Article
Full-text available
Background There is currently no consensus regarding the relative applicability of minimally invasive treatment, including radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and minimally invasive surgery (MIS) in patients with a single small peripheral hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and compensated cirrhosis. This study investigated the clinical outcomes of MIS and RF...
Article
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We aimed to extensively investigate clinical markers that are sufficiently dynamic for prognosis of acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF). Defined by the Asian Pacific Association for the Study of the Liver (APASL) criteria, patients with ACLF on the liver transplant waitlist in a tertiary center were retrospectively reviewed. Laboratory results an...
Article
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Background: Practical barriers exist in applying threshold-concept-based clinical teaching. We applied the practice model to the subject of acute liver failure and reported the experiences in teaching and learners' reactions. Methods: The course comprised a 10-min online preclass video and a 1-h class with in-depth discussion. The video explaine...
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Background: Cell therapy is considered a potential alternative to liver transplantation in acute liver failure (ALF). We aimed to evaluate the add-on therapeutic benefit of hepatocyte and mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) cotransplantation over hepatocyte-only transplantations in a rat model of ALF. Methods: ALF was induced by D-galactosamine in Sprag...
Article
Background We aimed to compare long-term outcomes of surgical resection (SR) and percutaneous radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) very early stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods Total of 387 patients (SR group, 156; RFA group, 231) with well-preserved liver function (Child-Pugh A) diagnosed with a solita...
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Background: Upper gastrointestinal fishbone microperforations are rare and not commonly reported in medical literature. Despite the increasing use of computer tomography (CT) imaging and the employment of the Alvardo criteria, misdiagnosis of acute appendicitis can still occur. We report the rare case of an elderly Chinese gentleman who had a fish...
Article
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Background Tuberculosis (TB) is an important post-transplant infection. Everolimus has been documented to reduce the risk of cytomegalovirus infection in transplant recipients, but its impact on other infections is less known. The present study aimed to assess immunosuppressive regimens on TB risk in solid-organ transplant (SOT) recipients via a ma...
Article
Background and aims: Tumor heterogeneity has been frequently reported in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The reliability of single-region tumor samples for evaluating immune tumor microenvironment is also debatable. We conducted a prospective study to analyze the similarity in immune tumor microenvironments among different regions of...
Conference Paper
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Background Macrophage uptake of oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL) which may result in the accumulation of free cholesterol and subsequent crystal formation that can induce NLRP3 inflammasome activation. Hepatic free cholesterol content is significantly increased in human non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. We aim to investigate the roles of free...
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Without stringent criteria, liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) can lead to high cancer recurrence and poor prognosis in the current treatment context. Checkpoint inhibitors can lead to long survival by targeting coinhibitory pathways and promoting T-cell activity; thus, they have great potential for cancer immunotherapy. Thera...
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Background Macrophages engulf oxidized-LDL (oxLDL) leading to accumulation of cellular cholesterol and formation of foam cells, which is a hallmark of atherosclerosis. Moreover, recent studies showed that accumulation of free cholesterol in macrophages leading to activation of NLRP3 inflammasome and production of interleukin-1β (IL-1β) has been lin...
Article
Background The incidence and several risk factors of biliary complication (BC) following pediatric liver transplantation (LT) are widely known, but data on long-term outcomes and management is limited. This retrospective study aimed to investigate the incidence, associated risk factors, management, and outcomes of early and late BC in pediatric LT....
Article
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Human studies on the use of metformin as host-directed therapy (HDT) for tuberculosis (TB) are rare. We performed a nationwide cohort study to evaluate the effect of metformin on mitigating the risk of active TB among patients with diabetes mellitus (DM). Among newly diagnosed DM patients identified in the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research...
Article
Résumé La pneumatose kystique intestinale est une maladie généralement bénigne. En cas de rupture de kystes elle peut libérer de l’air dans la cavité abdominale. Nous présentons un cas de pneumopéritoine chez un homme de 94 ans dont l’origine est la rupture de kystes isolés. Le patient a bénéficié d’une décompression intra-luminale par laparotomie...
Article
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Chronic liver diseases take many forms; alcohol-related liver disease (ALD) and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are two common illnesses that potentially lead to cirrhosis, liver failure, and liver cancer. It is estimated that a quarter of heavy drinkers develop ALD and the same portion of people without heavy drinking habits have NAFLD. A...
Article
Pneumatosis cystoides intestinalis is generally benign in course and sometimes, if cysts ruptured, behave as the not uncommon cause of free air in acute abdomen. In our case, we illustrate ruptured isolated cysts of pneumatosis cystoides intestinalis are responsible for pneumoperitoneum in a 94-year-old male patient. Laparotomy with gastrotomy for...
Article
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Background: Liver recipients may develop various diseases after transplant. However, because of inadequate study of liver transplant during undergraduate education, the quality of post-transplant care provided to these patients remains suboptimal. Herein, we introduce an innovative and integrated multimodal pedagogical approach to effectively diss...
Article
Background and aims: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in the caudate lobe is technically challenging for both radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and transarterial chemoembolization (TACE). However, each of these modalities has its strengths. This retrospective study compares the effectiveness of RFA and TACE in patients with caudate HCC within the Milan...
Conference Paper
Background Adipose-derived stromal vascular fraction (SVF) cells, a rich source of primary stem/stromal cells, are promising for administering cell therapy for patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF). We evaluated the therapeutic effects of CD34+/CD34- SVF cells in hepatocyte cotransplantation in a rat model of ACLF. Methods ACLF was i...