Evaluation of Postoperative Ascites After Somatostatin Infusion Following Hepatectomy for Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Status:
Recruiting
Trial end date:
2022-04-25
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Most patients undergoing hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) suffer from
underlying liver disease and are exposed to the risk of postoperative ascites, with
subsequent morbidity, liver and renal failure, the need for specific treatments and prolonged
hospital stay. Postoperative ascites is favored by an imbalance between portal venous inflow
and the diminished hepatic venous outflow. Finding a reversible, non-invasive method for
modulating the portal inflow would be of interest: it could be used temporarily during the
early postoperative course to prevent acute portal hypertension. Somatostatin, a well-known
drug already used in several indications, may limit the risk of postoperative ascites and
liver failure by decreasing portal pressure after hepatectomy for HCC in patients with
underlying liver disease.