[Successful conservative therapy of hepatorenal syndrome with vasopressin-1-receptor antagonist ornipressin].

A 47-year-old male patient with alcoholic cirrhosis Child-Pugh grade C was admitted to our center for evaluation of liver transplantation. Serum creatinine had increased from 1.6 to 4.3 mg/100 ml within the previous two weeks, creatinine clearance was 12 ml/min, and urinary sodium 12 mmol/24 h. The diagnosis of HRS type I was established. Diuretic treatment was discontinued. Following albumin infusion, central venous pressure was increased to above 10 cm H2O and dopamine (2 micrograms/kg/min) infusion was started. However, renal function did not improve. An i.v. infusion of ornipressin (POR8, Sandoz; 6 IU/h) was started and dopamine infusion continued. During a four-hour interval, urinary volume and sodium excretion doubled. Therefore treatment was continued for three weeks. After 22 days, renal function had normalized (creatinine 1.2 mg/100 ml, creatinine clearance 65 ml/min, urinary sodium 62 mmol/24 h) and diuretic therapy was resumed. No adverse effects were observed. Ornipressin/dopamine infusion was discontinued and renal function remained normal. Three weeks later, the patient underwent liver transplantation with normal renal function. Ornipressin infusion had no effect on circulating endothelin, but decreased the activation of the renin-aldosterone system and of the sympathetic activity. So far, no noninvasive therapy of hepatorenal syndrome has been established. This is the first report of successful medical treatment of HRS type I with a three-week infusion of the vasopressin-l-receptor agonist ornipressin.