Fernando Andres Alvarez

• MD
• Chief of HPB Surgery Section at Clínica Universitaria Reina Fabiola

To determine the safety, feasibility, and efficacy of associating liver partition and portal vein ligation for staged hepatectomy (ALPPS) in a single high-volume hepatobiliary center. The ALPPS approach allows achieving resectability of liver malignancies by a rapid and large future liver remnant (FLR) hypertrophy. However, this proposal has been a...

The surgical residency system ensures supervised practices to progressively move from simple to complex surgical procedures. However, ethical dilemmas could arise if patient outcome is negatively affected by this learning methodology. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether the supervised participation of residents acting as operating s...

The role of intraoperative cholangiography (IOC) in the diagnosis, prevention and management of bile duct injury (BDI) remains controversial. The aim of the present study was to determine the value of routine IOC in the diagnosis and management of BDI sustained during laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) at a high-volume centre. A retrospective analys...

Background: Bile duct injury (BDI) remains the most serious complication of laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC). The best strategy in terms of timing of repair is still controversial. The purpose of the current study is to review the experience in the intraoperative repair of bile duct injuries sustained during LC at a high-volume referral center....

Background: Posthepatectomy liver failure is the most severe complication after major hepatectomies and it is associated with an insufficient future liver remnant (FLR). Associating liver partition and portal vein ligation (PVL) has recently been described as a revolutionary strategy to induce a rapid and large FLR volume increase. We aim to descr...

ALPPS enables complete tumor resection in a shorter interval and a larger number of patients than classic two-stage hepatectomies. However, there is little evidence regarding long-term outcomes in patients with colorectal liver metastases (CLM). This study aims to evaluate the short and long-term outcomes of ALPPS in patients with CRM. Single-cohor...

Importance Considering the lack of equipoise regarding the timing of cholecystectomy in patients with moderately severe and severe acute biliary pancreatitis (ABP), it is critical to assess this issue. Objective To assess the outcomes of early cholecystectomy (EC) in patients with moderately severe and severe ABP. Design, Settings, and Participan...

Importance: Considering the lack of equipoise regarding the timing of cholecystectomy in patients with moderately severe and severe acute biliary pancreatitis (ABP), it is critical to assess this issue. Objective: To assess the outcomes of early cholecystectomy (EC) in patients with moderately severe and severe ABP. Design, settings, and partic...

Open Roux-en-Y hepaticojejunostomy (RYHJ) is the treatment of choice for bile duct injuries (BDI) sustained during laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Although in recent years the mini-invasive approach has been explored at expert centers, laparoscopic RYHJ for challenging surgical scenarios has rarely been attempted. We herein report two cases of RYHJ f...

Background: This study provides a global overview of the management of patients with acute cholecystitis during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Peri-operative SARS-CoV-2 infection increases postoperative mortality. The aim of this study was to determine the optimal duration of planned delay before surgery in patients who have had SARS-CoV-2 infection. This international, multicentre, prospective cohort study included patients undergoing elective or emergency surgery during October 2020. Su...

Introduction Colorectal surgery (CRS) is associated with high morbidity rates, being anastomotic leakage (AL) one of the most serious complications with an incidence as high as 15%, accounting for up to a third of mortality in these procedures. The identification of pre-clinical markers may allow an early diagnosis and a timely intervention. The ob...

Introduction Currently, the debate on the usefulness of Neutrophil to Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR) as a predictor of complications in acute diverticulitis (AD) remains open, especially, the relation to the severity of the disease, the clinical impact, and the necessity of minimally invasive or emergency surgical procedures. On the other hand, its diagnos...

Introduction and Importance In closed abdominal trauma, the spleen is the most frequently injured organ (30–45 %). Splenic lesions grades IV-V have higher failure rates with nonoperative management (NOM). The minimally invasive approach is an alternative when NOM fails. This is the first reported case of a patient with splenic and left renal trauma...

Surgical clip migration into the common bile duct (CBD) is a rare complication after laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC). Few cases of surgical clip migration have been reported in the literature, and most of them have been successfully treated with endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). We present a 71-year-old woman with 48 h of abd...

Background Laparoscopic liver resections (LLR) have been increasingly performed in recent years. Most of the available evidence, however, comes from specialized centers in Asia, Europe and USA. Data from South America are limited and based on single-center experiences. To date, no multicenter studies evaluated the results of LLR in South America. T...

Antecedentes: la hemicolectomía derecha laparoscópica con abordaje suprapúbico (HDLS) y empleo de tecnología robótica o laparoscópica de incisión única ha sido recientemente informada. La utiliza-ción de la técnica estándar multipuerto en HDLS no se ha descripto previamente. Material y métodos: entre enero y agosto del año 2018 fueron intervenidos...

Background: Currently, no standards for HPB training exist in Latin America. The aim of this work is to evaluate fellows' experience of HPB training and the areas of opportunity to improve. Methods: A 35 points survey was developed and distributed among fellows from dedicated HPB training programs in Latin America. The survey was applied by dire...

Introduction: Postoperative pancreatic fistula (PPF) is still the major source of morbidity in distal pancreatectomy (DP). Despite the many surgical techniques and technology devices developed for the closure of the pancreatic stump, the PPF rate remains high, and there is no consensus with regard to the most appropriate stump closure technique. We...

Background: Primary graft dysfunction (PGD) is a leading cause of graft loss after liver transplantation. There is no reliable method to anticipate this complication intraoperatively. Indocyanine green (ICG) fluorescence imaging is a technique used in hepatobiliary surgery for detection of liver malignancies, but has never been reported in the set...

Introduction: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer, whereas lymphoma is the sixth leading cause of cancer death, 90% of which corresponds to non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). The association of these two primary tumors, a solid tumor with an hematological malignancy, is very uncommon. Presentation of case: We report th...

Background: The initial mortality rates of associating liver partition and portal vein occlusion for staged hepatectomy (ALPPS) were high. However, recent data from the International Registry show a continuous reduction of early mortality and major morbidity due to risk adjustment in patient selection and less invasive techniques in stage-1 surger...

Background: Portal vein embolization (PVE) use is nowadays debated due to the risk of technical or biological unresectability after the period of time needed to achieve future liver remnant (FLR) hypertrophy. We evaluated the safety and efficacy of PVE in a single high-volume hepatobiliary center, with emphasis in the feasibility to achieve tumor...

Background: Acute calculous cholecystitis (ACC) is the most common complication of cholelithiasis. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) is the gold standard treatment in mild and moderate forms. Currently there is consensus for the use of antibiotics in the preoperative phase of ACC. However, the need for antibiotic therapy after surgery remains unde...

Background: Associating liver partition and portal vein ligation for staged hepatectomy (ALPPS) is an innovative, 2-staged hepatectomy which has elicited controversy within the international hepatobiliary community. Uptake of ALPPS has been limited due to concerns related to evidence of high morbidity and mortality and scant oncologic and quality...

Background/aims: Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog (KRAS) mutations influence survival after hepatectomy for colorectal liver metastases (CRLM). However, their prognostic significance has never been evaluated in patients who undergo Associating Liver Partition and Portal vein occlusion for Staged hepatectomy (ALPPS). Methods: Between Ju...

Objective: To longitudinally assess whether risk adjustment in Associating Liver Partition and Portal Vein Ligation for Staged Hepatectomy (ALPPS) occurred over time and is associated with postoperative outcome. Background: ALPPS is a novel 2-stage hepatectomy enabling resection of extensive hepatic tumors. ALPPS has been criticized for its high...

The possibility to achieve a curative resection in patients with colorectal liver metastases (CLM) is limited by the future liver remnant (FLR), posthepatectomy liver failure (PHLF) being the most severe complication after major liver resections. Associating liver partition and portal vein ligation for staged hepatectomy (ALPPS) has recently been i...

This book describes the diagnoses; staging and management of patients with colorectal liver metastases initially considered unresectable and portrays the different strategies to increase resectability along with their tactics and tricks. Colorectal carcinoma is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in the world and according to recent cancer sta...

The treatment of biliary stenosis after pediatric LDLT is challenging. We describe an innovative technique of peripheral IHCJ for the treatment of patients with complex biliary stenosis after pediatric LDLT in whom percutaneous treatment failed. During surgery, the percutaneous biliary drainage is removed and a flexible metal stylet is introduced t...

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate interstage liver function in associating liver partition and portal vein occlusion for staged hepatectomy (ALPPS) using hepatobiliary scintigraphy (HBS) and whether this may help to predict posthepatectomy liver failure (PHLF). Background: ALPPS remains controversial given the high rate of liver-r...

Le taux de décès des malades sur la liste d'attente est encore l'un des principaux problèmes de la transplanta-tion hépatique pédiatrique. La pénurie d'organes est fondamentalement liée au manque de donneurs de dimensions adéquates. Diverses techniques ont été développées en vue de diminuer les dimensions du greffon. Les progrès des techniques de r...

Background: In patients undergoing two-stage hepatectomy (TSH) for colorectal liver metastases (CRLM), chemotherapy is discontinued before portal vein occlusion and restarted after curative resection. Long chemotherapy-free intervals (CFI) may lead to tumor progression and poor oncological outcomes. Objective: The aim of this study was to invest...

Liver resection is the treatment of choice for patients with colorectal liver metastases (CLM). However, major resections are often required to achieve R 0 resection, which are associated with substantial rates of morbidity and mortality. Maximizing the amount of residual liver gained increasing significance in modern liver surgery due to the high...

Purpose: The current associating liver partition and portal vein ligation for staged hepatectomy (ALPPS) approach is represented by an aggressive first surgical procedure followed by a shorter and less aggressive second procedure. This paradigm has been associated with high morbidity and mortality. Inverting the aggressiveness of the surgical stag...

Background: Hepatic perfusion failure represents an important risk factor for severe complications and death after pancreatic resections. Arterial reconstruction could be required during pancreatic surgery because of tumor infiltration, benign strictures, or as a consequence of accidental arterial injury during dissection. All these situations can...

The objective to achieve a curative resection in patients with malignant liver tumors is limited by the future liver remnant (FLR), a posthepatectomy liver failure (PHLF) being the most severe complication after major liver resections. Associating liver partition and portal vein ligation for staged hepatectomy (ALPPS) has recently been introduced a...

Introduction Acute calculous cholecystitis represents one of the most common complications of cholelithiasis. While laparoscopic cholecystectomy is the standard treatment in mild and moderate forms, the need for antibiotic therapy after surgery remains undefined. The aim of the randomised controlled Cholecystectomy Antibiotic Randomised Trial (CHAR...

Background: The associating liver partition and portal vein ligation for staged hepatectomy (ALPPS) strategy induces rapid future liver remnant (FLR) hypertrophy. Hepatocyte cellular and molecular changes associated with liver hypertrophy during ALPPS remain ill-defined in humans. Methods: Patients undergoing the ALPPS approach between June 2011...

Introduction: Grafts from split livers constitute an accepted approach to expand the donor pool. Over the last 5 years, most Argentinean centers have shown significant interest in increasing the use of this technique. Aims: To describe and analyze the outcomes of right (RSG) and left (LSG) grafts from a multicenter study. Methods: Multicenter retro...

Objective: To determine the safety, feasibility, and efficacy of associating liver partition and portal vein ligation for staged hepatectomy (ALPPS) in a single high-volume hepatobiliary center. Background: The ALPPS approach allows achieving resectability of liver malignancies by a rapid and large future liver remnant (FLR) hypertrophy. However, t...

To date, the management of common bile duct stones (CBDs) is still controversial. If laparoscopic exploration is performed and biliary decompression is needed after stone removal, the placement of a laparoscopic transpapillary stent shows promising results in avoiding T-tube-related complications. Between January 2007 and May 2012, a series of 48 p...

de partición hepática y ligadura portal para hepatectomía diferida (ALPPS) en pacientes con enfermedad hepática avanzada Associating liver partition with portal vein ligation for staged hepatectomy (ALPPS) in patients with advanced liver disease La resección hepática es el único tratamiento con intención curativa para pacientes con enfermedades hep...

Introduction: Associating liver partition and portal vein ligation for staged hepatectomy (ALPPS) has recently been introduced as a feasible strategy that allows complete resection with curative intention in selected patients with otherwise locally unresectable disease due to an insufficient future liver remnant. Minimally invasive surgery has show...

Introduction: Colon cancer in liver transplant patients is an uncommon clinical situation. These patients are considered of high risk and are classically treated with an open approach. Currently, there are very few reports in the literature regarding laparoscopic colectomy in the case of solid-organ transplant patients and none concerning a straigh...

Groove pancreatitis (GP) is a rare form of segmental chronic pancreatitis affecting the groove area (anatomic space between the head of the pancreas, the duodenum and the common bile duct). Its clinical and radiological presentation may be similar to groove pancreatic adenocarcinoma (GPA). Nevertheless, treatment and prognosis are totally different...

Liver resection is the treatment of choice for patients with colorectal liver metastases (CRLM). The possibility of achieving curative resection is limited by the future liver remnant (FLR), with posthepatectomy liver failure (PHLF) the most severe possible complication after major liver resection. Associated liver partition and portal vein ligatio...

Laparoscopic total mesorectal excision (TME) has proven to be feasible and safe. However, it represents a major technical challenge, since it involves the dissection of the rectum in a confined space such as the bony pelvis using un-ergonomic surgical devices. This difficulty is accentuated in patients with distal tumors and high body mass index (B...

Even though recent advances in liver surgery have led to a more efficient approach to hilar cholangiocarcinoma (HC), resection with curative intent remains a challenge for hepatobiliary surgeons [1]. There is strong evidence to show better survival and long-term outcomes when microscopically tumor-free surgical margins are obtained in these patient...

Liver resection is the treatment of choice for patients with colorectal liver metastases (CRLM). The possibility of achieving curative resection is limited by the future liver remnant (FLR), with posthepatectomy liver failure (PHLF) the most severe possible complication after major liver resection. Associated liver partition and portal vein ligatio...

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Background/aims: To describe the role of MDCT-volumetry to monitor and predict liver hypertrophy in a recently introduced surgical technique in patients needing hepatectomy. Methodology: This prospective study was approved by the local research and ethics committee and patient informed consent was obtained. Twelve consecutive patients were selec...

Background Posthepatectomy liver failure is the most severe complication after major hepatectomies and it is associated with an insufficient future liver remnant (FLR). Associating liver partition and portal vein ligation (PVL) has recently been described as a revolutionary strategy to induce a rapid and large FLR volume increase. We aim to describ...

Surgical resection is the best option for prolonged survival in patients with primary or secondary liver tumors. A sufficient future liver remnant (FLR) volume is needed to prevent post-hepatectomy liver failure (PHLF). With the aim of increasing FLR, a new two-step technique has been recently developed. Our aim is to report our initial experience...

Long segment tracheobronchial stenoses are associated with high morbi-mortality rates and difficult treatment. Transplantation hasn't proved to be useful yet. Currently, the successful results achieved in small animal models couldn't be satisfactorily accomplished or extrapolated in large mammals. We aimed to evaluate the viability of orthotopic tr...

En-bloc liver resection with the extrahepatic bile duct is mandatory to obtain tumour-free surgical margins and better long-term outcomes in hilar cholangiocarcinoma (CC). One of the most important criteria for irresectability is local extensive invasion to major vessels. As hilar CC Bismuth type IIIB often requires a major left hepatic resection,...

The small intestine is a frequent site of melanoma metastases and the most common cause of secondary intestinal tumors. Even though, its presentation with intestinal obstruction due to intussusception is very rare. We present a 47-year-old woman with a medical history of facial melanoma operated 17 years ago and recently diagnosed of cervical recur...

Postoperative liver failure (PLF) is the most feared and serious complication after extensive liver resections. We present an innovative surgical technique for the treatment of a patient with colorectal cancer and initially unresectable liver metastases. After completing neoadjuvant chemotherapy, it was decided to perform simultaneous surgery. A le...

Postoperative liver failure (PLF) is the most feared and serious complication after extensive liver resections. We present an innovative surgical technique for the treatment of a patient with colorectal cancer and initially unresectable liver metastases. After completing neoadjuvant chemotherapy, it was decided to perform simultaneous surgery. A le...

Postoperative liver failure (PLF) is the most feared and severe complication after extensive liver resections. We present an innovative surgical technique that has been employed for the treatment of three patients (two with multiple colorectal liver metastases and one with hilar cholangiocarcinoma) whose livers were previously considered locally un...

Splenic autoimplantation appears to be the only alternative to preserve splenic tissue after splenectomy; however, its relevance is still controversial We intended to study splenic autoimplantation in the greater omentum and stomach wall of rabbits and analyze its hematoimmunological performance and the preservation of original structures. New Zeal...

Background: Tracheobronchial stenoses are associated with high morbidity and mortality rates an can only be partially repaired. A definitive treatment like transplantation has not been proved useful yet. Objective: To evaluate the experimental results of tracheal allotransplantation using cryopreserved grafts without vascular pedicle and immunosupp...