Treatment

A team of OHSU specialists, called the Hepatopancreaticobiliary (HPB) group, treats a variety of conditions affecting the liver, pancreas and biliary systems. Conditions treated include both chronic and malignant diseases.

Chronic diseases treated

• Pancreatitis
• Bile duct strictures
• Functional disease of the sphincter of Oddi
• Hepatitis
• Cirrhosis and polycystic liver disease

Malignant diseases treated

• Pancreatic cancer
• Pancreatic neuroendocrine disease
• Cystic neoplasms of the pancreas
• Cholangiocarcinomas
• Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors (GIST)
• Hepatocellular cancers
• Cancers metastatic to the liver from other organs

Advanced endoscopic procedures

OHSU physicians utilize several endoscopic (internal seeing) methods for treating and evaluating liver, pancreatic and biliary diseases. Some methods may include:

Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP)

Used to evaluate and treat disorders of the gallbladder, pancreas and liver. As a treatment technology it can be applied to the treatment of:

• biliary obstructions
• common bile duct stones
• infections or tumors of the bile duct
• ampullary tumors
• pain related to chronic pancreatitis or pancreatic cancer

Interventional endoscopy

Used to place stents for palliative treatment of inoperable pancreatic, biliary and colon malignancies 

Endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS)

OHSU was among the first medical centers in the country to employ EUS for diagnostic purposes. EUS uses miniaturized ultrasound probes inserted into the bile duct or the upper and lower gastrointestinal tract to provide detailed images that aid in the diagnosis of HPB conditions as well as the staging of patients with esophageal, gastric and rectal cancers. 

Liver and pancreas transplant team

The OHSU transplantation team provides liver transplantation for patients with end-stage liver disease and some with liver cancer. The transplantation team includes surgeons as well as liver, kidney and diabetes specialists.

In addition, the group is also very active in the surgical treatment of liver tumors, bile duct problems, pancreatic cancer, chronic pancreatitis, and other hepatobiliary diseases. 2021 marks the beginning of our new adult-to-adult live-donor liver transplantation program. In fact, OHSU has the only liver transplant program in Oregon and has been performing simultaneous pancreas-kidney (SPK) transplants since 1987.

Also new in 2021 is our Total Pancreatectomy with Islet Auto Transplantation (TPIAT) program. This procedure treats chronic pancreatitis (and in some cases patients at very high risk for pancreatic cancer) by harvesting pancreatic islet cells – crucial for producing insulin – and infusing them in the liver. TPIAT patients are relieved of debilitating pain and less dependent on insulin medication.