Costas H. Kefalas, Natalie G.B. Murray, James J. Aguanno, William D. Dockery, Jeffrey S. Weinstein, Katherine Anderson, Goran B. Klintmalm – 6 January 2004 – Hypocalcemia in patients with cirrhosis may be due to a number of causes. We noted a relationship between injection with gadodiamide, a particular gadolinium chelate, during magnetic resonance imaging of the liver and the development of a falsely low serum total calcium level in a patient with cirrhosis. A cross‐reference and retrospective chart review identified 10 additional patients in whom this phenomenon was noted.

Robert M. Weinrieb, Rebecca Barnett, Kevin G. Lynch, Maria DePiano, Alfred Atanda, Kim M. Olthoff – 6 January 2004 – Approximately 85% of patients receiving methadone maintenance therapy (MMT) for opiate dependence in the United States are infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV). MMT is significantly underrepresented in most liver transplant programs, but the number of patients receiving MMT is increasing and few data are available to guide treatment.

6 January 2004

Christopher Rose, Rajiv Jalan – 6 January 2004

Khee Lim Ng, J.S. Davidson, Andrew J. Bathgate – 6 January 2004

Henkie P. Tan, Amadeo Marcos – 6 January 2004

Joseph F. Buell, E. Steve Woodle – 6 January 2004 – Ovarian cancer is the gynecologic malignancy with the highest number of deaths in the United States. Previous studies had found a decreased incidence of female gynecological malignancies after liver transplantation. In order to estimate the incidence of ovarian carcinoma after liver transplantation, we evaluated 1,708 consecutive liver transplant recipients from 1984 to 2001. Of them, 770 (43%) were female. Routine follow‐ups were performed at 1, 2, 5, and 10 years after transplantation. There were two cases of ovarian carcinoma.

Paul H. Hayashi, James F. Trotter, Lisa Forman, Marcelo Kugelmas, Tracy Steinberg, Paul Russ, Michael Wachs, Thomas Bak, Igal Kam, Gregory T. Everson – 6 January 2004 – The allocation system based on the Model for End‐stage Liver Disease (MELD) has led to more patients diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) being transplanted. We hypothesized that more patients misdiagnosed with HCC are also being transplanted, leading to inappropriate organ allocation.

Olivier Scatton, Jacques Belghiti, Federica Dondero, Diane Goere, Daniele Sommacale, Marylène Plasse, Alain Sauvanet, Olivier Farges, Valérie Vilgrain, Francois Durand – 6 January 2004 – The harvesting of the middle hepatic vein (MHV) with a right hepatectomy for living‐donor liver transplantation allows an optimal venous drainage for the recipient but can also have adverse effects for the donor.

Romuald Bellmann, Ivo W. Graziadei, Clemens Feistritzer, Hubert Schwaighofer, Frans Stellaard, Ekkehard Sturm, Christian J. Wiedermann, Michael Joannidis – 6 January 2004 – Albumin dialysis has been shown to improve the outcome in patients with cholestatic liver failure caused by chronic liver disease. This study reports 7 liver transplant recipients who were treated with albumin dialysis for intractable pruritus of different origin (ductopenic graft rejection, non‐anastomotic strictures, and recurrence of hepatitis C).