Retransplantation of the liver

Indications and outcomes of liver retransplantation in three medical centers

INTRODUCTION

retransplantation is the only viable treatment for patients with irreversible graft loss. The objective of this study was to analyze the indications and outcomes of liver retransplantation in three medical centers.

METHODS

a total of 66 patients who underwent liver retransplantation from September 1991 to December 2021 were included in the study. A retrospective analysis was performed evaluating patients demographic, clinical, primary diagnosis, indications for and time interval to retransplantation, complications and patient survival.

RESULTS

from a total of 1293 primary liver transplants performed, 70 required one or more liver retransplant. The main indication for primary transplant was hepatitis C cirrhosis (21,2%). Hepatic artery thrombosis was the main cause of retransplantation (60,6%), with almost half (46,9%) of retransplants having occurred within 30 days from initial procedure. The average survival time after a repeat liver transplant, was 89,1 months, with confidence interval from 54 to 124,2. The 1-,5- and 10- year survival rate following liver retransplant were 48,4%, 38% and 30,1%, respectively. Male gender, primary non function as the cause for retransplant, prolonged operative time and higher MELD were associated with higher mortality.

CONCLUSIONS

operative mortality and morbidity rates of liver retransplantation are higher than those of the first transplantation. Male gender, primary non function, prolonged operative time and higher MELD were associated with less favorable outcomes.

Learning Curve Analysis of Microvascular Hepatic Artery Anastomosis for Pediatric Living Donor Liver Transplantation: Initial Experience at A Single Institution

Background

The incidence of hepatic artery thrombosis in pediatric living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) is significantly higher than that in adults, and is closely related to the surgeon’s experience with hepatic artery anastomosis. However, there are few studies on the learning curve of hepatic artery anastomosis among surgeons.

Methods

We collected data related to 75 patients who underwent pediatric LDLT and hepatic artery anastomosis independently by the same surgeon. Cumulative sum method (CUSUM) was used to analyse the duration of hepatic artery anastomosis and determine the cut-off value. Patients were divided into two phases according to CUSUM. We analysed the intraoperative and postoperative data and survival outcomes of the included patients.

Results

Total anastomosis duration decreased with an increased number of completed procedures, and the average duration was 42.4 ± 2.20 min. A cut-off value and two phases were identified: 1–43 cases and 44–75 cases. Intraoperative blood loss was significantly lower in phase 2 than in phase 1. The immediate functional changes of total bilirubin (TBIL) and direct bilirubin (DBIL) were significantly also lower in phase 2 than in phase 1. Other functional outcomes, postoperative complications, and the long-term survival rate were not significantly different between the two phases.

Conclusions

Technical competence in pediatric LDLT hepatic artery anastomosis may be achieved after completing 43 cases. It is a safe procedure with a surgical loupe that can be systematized and adopted by pediatric surgeons with sufficient experience via a relatively long learning curve.

Is Elective Status a Predictor of Poor Survival in Liver Retransplantation?

BACKGROUND

Orthotopic liver retransplantation (reLT) is considered to have poorer outcomes than primary transplantation. The objective of this study was to analyze the impact of medical urgency status as a predictor of patient survival after reLT.

METHODS

Forty-nine patients who underwent reLT were included in this retrospective study. Urgent or elective status was based on the judgment of the surgical team, selected variables, and the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease score. Multivariate analysis was performed to identify variables associated with patient survival following reLT.

RESULTS

Overall survival of the patient cohort was 57% at 1 year and 54.3% at 3 years after reTL. Survival in urgent-status patients was 68.8% and 63.4% at 1 and 3 years, respectively, whereas the survival rate for elective patients was 40.0% at both time points. Mortality was significantly associated with elective status (hazard ratio [HR], 2.42; P = .046) at 1 year, but was no longer significant (HR, 2.19; P < .069) after 3 years of follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS

Elective status is associated with poorer outcome. Patient selection determines long-term survival more than any other single factor, so for patients designated to an elective status, prompt retransplantation should be encouraged.

Predictive factors of neurological complications and one-month mortality after liver transplantation

Background: Neurological complications are common after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). We aimed to characterize the risk factors associated with neurological complications and mortality among patients who underwent OLT in the post-model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) era.

Methods: In a retrospective review, we evaluated 227 consecutive patients at the Keck Hospital of the University of Southern California before and after OLT to define the type and frequency of and risk factors for neurological complications and mortality.

Results: Neurological complications were common (n = 98), with encephalopathy being most frequent (56.8%), followed by tremor (26.5%), hallucinations (11.2%), and seizure (8.2%). Factors associated with neurological complications after OLT included preoperative dialysis, hepatorenal syndrome, renal insufficiency, intra-operative dialysis, preoperative encephalopathy, preoperative mechanical ventilation, and infection. Preoperative infection was an independent predictor of neurological complications (OR 2.83, 1.47–5.44). One-month mortality was 8.8% and was independently associated with urgent re-transplant, preoperative intubation, and intra-operative arrhythmia.

Conclusion: Neurological complications are common in patients undergoing OLT in the post-MELD era, with encephalopathy being most frequent. An improved understanding of the risk factors related to both neurological complications and one-month mortality post-transplantation can better guide perioperative care and help improve outcomes among OLT patients.

Celsior versus University of Wisconsin preserving solutions for liver transplantation: postreperfusion syndrome and outcome of a 5-year prospective randomized controlled study

BACKGROUND

Celsior solution (CS) is a high-sodium, low-potassium, low-viscosity extracellular solution that has been used for liver graft preservation in recent years, although experience with it is still limited. We performed an open-label randomized active-controlled trial comparing CS with the University of Wisconsin solution (UW) for liver transplantation (LT), with a follow-up period of 5 years.

METHODS

Adult transplant recipients (n=102) were prospectively randomized to receive either CS (n=51) or UW (n=51). The two groups were comparable with respect to donor and recipient characteristics. The primary outcome measure was the incidence of postreperfusion syndrome (PRS). Secondary outcome measures included primary nonfunction (PNF) or primary dysfunction (PDF), liver retransplantation, and graft and patient survival. Other secondary outcome measures were days in the intensive care unit (ICU) and the rates of acute rejection, chronic rejection, infectious complications, postoperative reoperations, and vascular and biliary complications.

RESULTS

In all, 14 posttransplant variables revealed no significant differences between the groups. There were no cases of PNF or PDF. The incidence of PRS was 5.9% in the CS group and 21.6% in the UW group (P=0.041). After reperfusion, CS revealed greater control of serum potassium (P=0.015), magnesium levels (P=0.005), and plasma glucose (P=0.042) than UW. Respective patient survivals at 3, 12, and 60 months were 95.7, 87.2, and 82.0% for the CS group and 95.7, 83.3, and 66.6% for the UW group (P=0.123).

CONCLUSIONS

While retaining the same degree of safety and effectiveness as UW for LT, CS may yield postliver graft reperfusion benefits, as shown in this study by a significant reduction in the incidence of PRS and greater metabolic control.

Pediatric liver transplantation for metabolic liver disease: experience at King's College Hospital

AIMS

The aims of this article were to report a single-center experience of pediatric liver transplantation for liver-based metabolic disorders and to compare the outcome of cirrhotic versus noncirrhotic metabolic liver disease.

METHODS

The medical records of 96 patients younger than 18 years undergoing transplantation for liver-based metabolic disorders from 1989 to 2005 were reviewed.

RESULTS

Hundred twelve transplants were performed in 96 patients at a median age of 59.7 months (range, 0-208 months). The cumulative 1-, 5-, and 10-year graft and patient survival rates were 83%, 77%, and 62% and 91%, 86%, and 82%, respectively. Acute liver failure at first presentation (hazard ratio [HR] 3.0; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.1-8.1), age less than 1 year at time of transplantation (HR 4.6; 95% CI 1.7-12.4) and hospitalization (HR 3.2; 95% CI 1.1-9.3) were significant predictors of worse patient survival. For noncirrhotic disorders, the long-term patient (100% vs. 100%, 90% vs. 100%, and 90% vs. 75%, P=0.87) and graft survivals (93% vs. 100%, 70% vs. 100%, and 70 vs. 75%, P=0.12) at 1, 5, and 7 years for auxiliary versus orthotopic transplantation were not significantly different.

CONCLUSIONS

Long-term patient survival after transplantation for metabolic disorders is excellent for both cirrhotic and noncirrhotic metabolic disorders. For noncirrhotic metabolic disorders, auxiliary transplantation has similar patient and graft survival compared with orthotopic transplantation, but further research is recommended.

Liver retransplantation: a single-centre experience

BACKGROUND

The curative effect of liver transplantation for patients with end-stage liver disease was encouraging in recent years and the 5-year patient survival rate can reach up to 70%. However, some patients might lose grafts due to a variety of reasons, including bile duct complications, vascular complications, primary non-function, graft rejection and disease recurrence etc. Liver retransplantation (re-LT) was the only available means for those patients whose initial grafts had failed, but the inferior outcomes of re-LT compared to primary liver transplantation (PLT) continue to be a major concern. This study aimed to analyze the indications for re-LT, optimal timing of re-LT, and strategies to improve the survival rate after re-LT.

METHODS

From January 2001 to December 2006, we performed 738 liver transplants and 39 re-LT (5.3%) at our center. A retrospective analysis was performed to identify factors (indication for re-LT, preoperative score of model for end-stage liver disease (MELD), interval to re-LT from primary liver transplantation, methods of vascular and biliary reconstruction and common causes of death) associated with survival.

RESULTS

Mean follow-up period was 1.8 years (1 to 5 years). Patients with MELD score less than 20 were better than those whose MELD score was > 20 and MELD score > 30 (1-year survival, 80.0% versus 50.0% and 3/5). The perioperative survival rate of patients who received re-LT at an interval of more than 30 days and less than 8 days after the initial transplantation was higher than those who received retransplantation between 8 to 30 days following the first operation (88.5% and 74.3% versus 50.0%). The main causes of death were infection (60.0%), multiple organ failure (20.0%), vascular complications (10.0%) and biliary fistula (10.0%) in perioperative period. The overall patient survival rate of 1-month, 6-month and 1-year was 80.0%, 76.7% and 66.7%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study suggested the favorable results after re-LT. The analysis also showed optimal timing of operation, refined surgical techniques, individualized immunosuppressive regimen and effective prophylaxis and treatment of perioperative infection play an important role in achieving a higher survival after re-LT.

Postoperative complications in patients with portal vein thrombosis after liver transplantation: Evaluation with Doppler ultrasonography

AIM: To study the postoperative complications in patients with preoperative portal vein thrombosis (PVT) undergoing liver transplantation (LT) and to evaluate the complications with Doppler ultrasonography.

METHODS: Retrospective studies were performed on 284 patients undergoing LT (286 LT) with respect to pre- and postoperative clinical data and Doppler ultrasonography. According to the presence and grade of preoperative PVT, 286 LTs were divided into three groups: complete PVT (c-PVT), partial PVT (p-PVT) and non-PVT, with 22, 30 and 234 LTs, respectively. Analyses were carried out to compare the incidence of early postoperative complications.

RESULTS: PVT, inferior vena cava (IVC) thrombosis, hepatic artery thrombosis (HAT) and biliary complications were found postoperatively. All complications were detected by routine Doppler ultrasonography and diagnoses made by ultrasound were confirmed by clinical data or/and other imaging studies. Nine out of 286 LTs had postoperative PVT. The incidence of the c-PVT group was 22.7%, which was higher than that of the p-PVT group (3.3%, P < 0.05) and non-PVT group (1.3%, P < 0.005). No difference was found between the p-PVT and non-PVT groups (P > 0.25). Of the 9 cases with postoperative PVT, recanalizations were achieved in 7 cases after anticoagulation under the guidance of ultrasound, 1 case received portal vein thrombectomy and 1 case died of acute injection. Ten LTs had postoperative IVC thrombosis. The c-PVT group had a higher incidence of IVC thrombosis than the non-PVT group (9.1% vs 2.6%, P < 0.05); no significant difference was found between either the c-PVT and p-PVT groups (9.1% vs 6.7%, P > 0.5) or between the p-PVT and non-PVT groups (P > 0.25). Nine cases with IVC thrombosis were cured by anticoagulation under the guidance of ultrasound, and 1 case gained natural cure without any medical treatment after 2 mo. HAT was found in 2 non-PVT cases, giving a rate of 0.7% among 286 LTs. Biliary complications were seen in 12 LTs. The incidence of biliary complications in the c-PVT, p-PVT and non-PVT groups was 9.1%, 3.3% and 4.3%, respectively (P > 0.25 for all), among which 2 stenosis led retransplantations and others were controlled by relative therapy.

CONCLUSION: C-PVT patients tend to have a higher incidence of PVT and IVC thrombosis than non-PVT patients after LT. The incidence of postoperative complications in p-PVT patients does not differ from that of non-PVT patients. A relatively low incidence of HAT was seen in our study. Doppler ultrasonography is a convenient and efficient method for detecting posttransplant complications and plays an important role in guiding treatment.