Efficacy of hepatic arterial infusion of prostaglandin E1 in the treatment of postoperative acute liver failure--report of a case.

Prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) has received attention for its protective effects against various types of liver damage. However, it is known that approximately 70% of PGE1 is inactivated during a single passage through the lung. Therefore, direct infusion of PGE1 into the liver bloodstream is preferable to intravenous infusion. A 66-year-old man with hepatocellular carcinoma with liver cirrhosis developed postoperative acute liver failure following posterior segmentectorny under hepatic total vascular exclusion exceeding 1 hour. Because his liver function did not recover in spite of plasma exchange starting on postoperative day 8 and intravenous infusion of PGE1, hepatic arterial continuous infusion of PGE1 at a rate of 0.01μg/kg/min was carried out for 7 days from postoperative day 17. Immediately after the start of the arterial infusion, the bile flow significantly increased compared to before the arterial infusion, and the serum total bilirubin level decreased thereafter and finally recovered from the hepatic failure. In addition to its highly efficient drug delivery, the hepatic arterial infusion of PGE1 seems to be more advantageous in oxygen delivery to the liver compared with intravenous infusion. In conclusion, the hepatic arterial infusion of PGE: may be useful in the treatment of acute liver failure.