Henkie P. Tan, Jay S. Markowitz, Robert A. Montgomery, William T. Merritt, Andrew S. Klein, Paul J. Thuluvath, F. Fred Poordad, Warren R. Maley, Bradford Winters, Seda B. Akinci, Sean P. Gaine – 30 December 2003 – Portopulmonary hypertension (PPHTN) is no longer an absolute contraindication to orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). The pre‐OLT management of patients with PPHTN requires early diagnosis and chronic therapy with intravenous epoprostenol to decrease pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR).

Mario Rizzetto – 30 December 2003

Nicholas Onaca, Ruud A.F. Krom – 30 December 2003

Michael Tan, Antonio Di Carlo, Patrick Robinson, Jean I. Tchervenkov, Jeffrey S.T. Barkun, Peter Metrakos – 30 December 2003 – Because of the increasing gap in the number of patients awaiting organ transplantation and the supply of organ donors, reevaluation of donor criteria is an important issue in clinical transplantation. It has become necessary to make maximal use of the currently available donor pool.

Juli Busquets, Juan Figueras, Teresa Serrano, Jaume Torras, Emilio Ramos, Antonio Rafecas, Juan Fabregat, Carmen Lama, Xavier Xiol, Carme Baliellas, Eduardo Jaurrieta – 30 December 2003 – Biliary complications after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) may occur because of preservation injury (PI). In this study, we examine findings on routine reperfusion biopsy specimens in relation to the occurrence of biliary complications and graft outcome. From 1997 to 2000, a total of 193 OLTs were performed in our center.

Gregory J. Gores – 30 December 2003

Nina Singh, Timothy Gayowski, Marilyn M. Wagener – 30 December 2003 – The aim of this study is to assess the predictors, impact on infectious morbidity, and outcome of posttransplantation dialysis in liver transplant recipients and to compare the results with data from patients who did not require dialysis after transplantation. The study sample included 176 consecutive patients undergoing liver transplantation; the median follow‐up was 4.3 years. All patients were administered tacrolimus as primary immunosuppression.

Pietro Lampertico, Ersilio Del Ninno, Mauro Viganò, Raffaella Romeo, Maria Francesca Donato, Erwin Sablon, Alberto Morabito, Massimo Colombo – 30 December 2003 – To assess whether extended treatment with interferon improves the outcome of hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)‐negative chronic hepatitis B, 101 consecutive patients were treated with 6 MU of interferon alfa 2b 3 times weekly for 24 months.

Juan G. Abraldes, Ilaria Tarantino, Juan Turnes, Juan Carlos Garcia‐Pagan, Juan Rodés, Jaime Bosch – 30 December 2003 – In cirrhotic patients under pharmacologic treatment for portal hypertension, a reduction in hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) of ≥20% of baseline or to ≤12 mm Hg markedly reduces the risk of variceal rebleeding. This study was aimed at evaluating whether these hemodynamic targets also prevent other complications of portal hypertension and improve long‐term survival.

Dominique Thabut, Marion Simon, Robert P. Myers, Djamila Messous, Vincent Thibault, Françoise Imbert‐Bismut, Thierry Poynard – 30 December 2003