Pietrosi G, Vizzini GB, Gruttadauria S, Gridelli B. Clinical applications of hepatocyte transplantation. World J Gastroenterol 2009; 15(17): 2074-2077 [PMID: 19418578 DOI: 10.3748/wjg.15.2074]
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Giada Pietrosi, MD, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mediterranean Institute for Transplantation and Advanced Specialized Therapies (IsMeTT), University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Via Tricomi, 1, Palermo 90127, Italy. gpietrosi@ismett.edu
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World J Gastroenterol. May 7, 2009; 15(17): 2074-2077 Published online May 7, 2009. doi: 10.3748/wjg.15.2074
Clinical applications of hepatocyte transplantation
Giada Pietrosi, Giovanni Battista Vizzini, Salvatore Gruttadauria, Bruno Gridelli
Giada Pietrosi, Giovanni Battista Vizzini, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mediterranean Institute for Transplantation and Advanced Specialized Therapies (IsMeTT), University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Palermo 90127, Italy
Salvatore Gruttadauria, Bruno Gridelli, Department of Surgery, Mediterranean Institute for Transplantation and Advanced Specialized Therapies (IsMeTT), University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Palermo 90127, Italy
Author contributions: All authors gave substantial contributions to conception, design, acquisition, analysis and interpretation of data.
Correspondence to: Giada Pietrosi, MD, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mediterranean Institute for Transplantation and Advanced Specialized Therapies (IsMeTT), University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Via Tricomi, 1, Palermo 90127, Italy. gpietrosi@ismett.edu
Telephone: +39-91-2192111
Fax: +39-91-2192244
Received: October 24, 2008 Revised: March 14, 2009 Accepted: March 21, 2009 Published online: May 7, 2009
Abstract
The shortage of organ donors is a problem worldwide, with approximately 15% of adult patients with life-threatening liver diseases dying while on the waiting list. The use of cell transplantation for liver disease is an attempt to correct metabolic defects, or to support liver function as a bridge to liver transplantation and, as such, has raised a number of expectations. Most of the available studies briefly reported here focus on adult hepatocyte transplantation (HT), and the results are neither reproducible nor comparable, because the means of infusion, amount of injected cells and clinical variability differ among the studies. To better understand the specific role of HT in the management of end-stage liver disease, it is important that controlled studies, designed on the principles of evidence-based medicine, be done in order to guarantee the reproducibility of results.
