Browsing by Author "Tilakaratne, S."

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The hidden threat of uncontrollable bleeding from the gallbladder bed during laparoscopic cholecystectomy
(Elsevier, 2023) Rajeeth, G.; Tilakaratne, S.; Siriwardana, R.C.
INTRODUCTION AND IMPORTANCE: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is the treatment for symptomatic gallstone disease. However, a potential complication during this procedure is intraoperative bleeding resulting from vascular injuries, affecting around 0.9-1.9 % of cases. The most common bleeding site is the gallbladder bed, predominantly due to bleeding from the middle hepatic vein and its major branches. CASE PRESENTATION: This article presents an illustrative case of a superficial middle hepatic vein encountered during cholecystectomy during a donor hepatectomy. CLINICAL DISCUSSION: Safe dissection of the Calot triangle is crucial in cholecystectomy to prevent bile duct injuries. Attention is drawn to the proximity of middle hepatic vein to the gallbladder bed during dissection, which can lead to complication. Recent studies highlight significant anatomical variations, emphasizing the need for caution, especially in the patients with specific conditions. CONCLUSION: The careful surgical technique and awareness of anatomical variations, particularly regarding the proximity of the middle hepatic vein to the gallbladder bed during laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Surgeons are cautioned to maintain the focus throughout the procedure, even after achieving the critical view of safety. Preoperative evaluation of this anatomy with USS Venous Doppler and CT scan is minimize the risk of complications.
Internal biliary diversion to avoid liver transplantation in an adult with intractable pruritus due to idiopathic intrahepatic cholestasis
(Springer Nature, 2020) Siriwardana, R.C.; Jayatunge, D.S.P.; Ekanayake, C.S.; Tilakaratne, S.; Niriella, M.A.; Gunetilleke, B.; Dassanayake, A.S.
BACKGROUND: Cholestasis is due to the obstruction at any level of the excretory pathway of bile. One particularly troublesome symptom of cholestasis is pruritus which leads to a profound effect on a patient’s quality of life. In children with progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis (PFIC), medical treatment often fails. An alternative surgical procedure using biliary diversion offers significant relief for intractable pruritus in non-responders. CASE PRESENTATION: A 43-year-old male presented with a history of persistent jaundice and intractable pruritus for a 2-month duration. His liver enzymes were markedly elevated. However, his liver synthetic function was preserved. After extensive evaluation, a cause for cholestasis was not identified. A multi-disciplinary decision was to consider liver transplantation, but as his liver synthetic functions were remarkably preserved and the intractable pruritus was the sole indication for a transplantation, it was finally decided that internal biliary diversion should be done for symptomatic relief. His pruritus dramatically improved at 6 weeks post-operative. His liver enzymes and bilirubin levels also decreased compared to his pre-operative status. Currently, his liver functions are being closely monitored. CONCLUSION: Though it is not used in adults, the experience of biliary diversion in children with PFIC shows that there is a considerable improvement of symptoms and postpone the need for a transplant. In our patient, liver function and bilirubin as expected did not show a major improvement. But the dramatic improvement of the symptoms gave us the time to postpone the liver transplantation. A biliary diversion is a reasonable option that needs to be considered even in adults with refectory pruritus due to cholestasis.