Early hepatic artery thrombosis treatments and outcomes: aorto-hepatic arterial conduit interposition or revision of anastomosis?

BACKGROUND: Hepatic artery thrombosis (HAT) is one of the critical conditions after an orthotopic liver transplant (OLT) and leads to severe problems if not corrected promptly. However, multiple treatments have been proposed for HAT, in which surgical revascularization with either auto-hepatic conduit interposition (AHCI) or revision of the anastomosis is more familiar indeed indicated for some patients and in specific situations. In this study, we want to evaluate the success and outcomes of treating early HAT (E-HAT), which defines HAT within 30 days after OLT with either of the surgical revascularization techniques. METHOD: In this retrospective study, we collected information from the medical records of patients who underwent either of the surgical revascularization procedures for E-HAT after OLT. Patients who needed early retransplantation (RT) or died without surgical intervention for E-HAT were excluded. Demographic data, OLT surgery information, and data regarding E-HAT were gathered. The study outcomes were secondary management for E-HAT in case of improper inflow, biliary complications (BC), RT, and death. RESULTS: A total of 37 adult patients with E-HAT after OLT included in this study. These E-HATs were diagnosed within a mean of 4.6 ± 3.6 days after OLT. Two patients had their HA revised for the initial management of E-HAT; however, it changed to AHCI intraoperatively and finally needed RT. Two and nine patients from the AHCI and revision groups had re-thrombosis (12.5% vs. 47.3%, respectively, p = 0.03). RT was used to manage rethrombosis in all patients of AHCI and two patients of the revision group (22.2%). In comparison to the AHCI, revision group had statistically insignificant higher rates of BC (47.4% vs. 31.2%); however, RT for nonvascular etiologies (12.5% vs. 5.3%) and death (12.5% vs. 10.5%) were nonsignificantly higher in AHCI group. All patients with more than one HA exploration who were in the revision group had BC; however, 28.5% of patients with just one HA exploration experienced BC (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Arterial conduit interposition seems a better approach for the initial management of E-HAT in comparison to revision of the HA anastomosis due to the lower risk of re-thrombosis and the number of HA explorations; indeed, BC, RT, and death remain because they are somewhat related to the ischemic event of E-HAT than to a surgical treatment itself.

The Yield of Routine Post-Operative Doppler Ultrasound to Detect Early Post-Liver Transplantation Vascular Complications.

Early detection of liver transplantation (LT) vascular complications enables timely management. Our aim was to assess if routine Doppler ultrasound (rDUS) improves the detection of hepatic artery thrombosis (HAT), portal vein thrombosis (PVT) and hepatic venous outflow obstruction (HVOO). We retrospectively analysed timing and outcomes, number needed to diagnose one complication (NND) and positive predictive value (PPV) of rDUS on post-operative day (POD) 0,1 and 7 in 708 adult patients who underwent primary LT between 2010-2022. We showed that HAT developed in 7.1%, PVT in 8.2% and HVOO in 3.1% of patients. Most early complications were diagnosed on POD 0 (26.9%), 1 (17.3%) and 5 (17.3%). rDUS correctly detected 21 out of 26 vascular events during the protocol days. PPV of rDUS was 53.8%, detection rate 1.1% and NND was 90.5. Median time to diagnosis was 4 days for HAT and 47 days for PVT and 21 days for HVOO. After intervention, liver grafts were preserved in 57.1%. In conclusion, rDUS protocol helps to detect first week's vascular events, but with low PPV and a high number of ultrasounds needed.

Vascular thrombosis after pediatric liver transplantation: Is prevention achievable?

Background: Vascular thromboses (VT) are life-threatening events after pediatric liver transplantation (LT). Single-center studies have identified risk factors for intra-abdominal VT, but large-scale pediatric studies are lacking. Methods: This multicenter retrospective cohort study of isolated pediatric LT recipients assessed pre- and perioperative variables to determine VT risk factors and anticoagulation-associated bleeding complications. Results: Within seven postoperative days, 31/331 (9.37%) patients developed intra-abdominal VT. Open fascia occurred more commonly in patients with VT (51.61 vs 23.33%) and remained the only independent risk factor in multivariable analysis (OR = 2.84, p = 0.012). Patients with VT received more blood products (83.87 vs 50.00%), had significantly higher rates of graft loss (22.58 vs 1.33%), infection (50.00 vs 20.60%), and unplanned return to the operating room (70.97 vs 16.44%) compared to those without VT. The risk of bleeding was similar (p = 0.2) between patients on and off anticoagulation. Conclusions: Prophylactic anticoagulation did not increase bleeding complications in this cohort. The only independent factor associated with VT was open fascia, likely a graft/recipient size mismatch surrogate, supporting the need to improve surgical techniques to prevent VT that may not be modifiable with anticoagulation.

Surgical Versus Image-Guided Interventions in the Management of Complications After Liver Transplantation.

Liver transplantation is a technically demanding surgical procedure with known complications, and the optimal approach to addressing vascular and biliary complications requires a coordinated effort between surgical and interventional radiology teams. Vascular complications involving the hepatic artery, portal vein, or hepatic veins can be characterized by their mechanism, chronicity, and timing of presentation. These factors help determine whether the optimal therapeutic approach is surgical or endovascular. Very early presentation in the perioperative period favors surgical revision, while later presentation is best addressed endovascularly. Biliary complications can be categorized as leaks or strictures, and coordinated surgical, endoscopic, and percutaneous management is needed to address these types of complications. Through advances in technique and the management of complications, outcomes after liver transplantation continue to improve.

Transplant Hepatic Artery Complications.

Hepatic artery complications can be divided into 2 different categories, nonocclusive and steno-occlusive disease. Steno-occlusive disease is a collective term that encompasses hepatic artery thrombosis, hepatic artery stenosis, and hepatic arterial kinks, while nonocclusive arterial disease encompasses less than 5% of complications and is a collective term used to describe arteriovenous fistulae, pseudoaneurysms, arterial rupture and nonocclusive hepatic artery hypoperfusion syndrome. This article details the angiographic techniques and definitions needed to accurately diagnose arterial transplant complications and describes the technical aspects and results of endoluminal management of these arterial complications. In addition, this article discusses the presentation, etiology and indications for treatment, including surgical management of these various complications.

Rates of hepatic artery thrombosis in liver transplantation with the use of a microscope: A systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: Hepatic artery anastomosis in liver transplantations requires a meticulous technique to minimize the risk of hepatic artery thrombosis (HAT). The microscope helped improve anastomosis techniques in pediatric patients with small caliber vessels. The aim of this review was to compare microsurgical and non-microsurgical techniques on the incidence of HAT in liver transplantations. The secondary objective was to compare HAT incidence between pediatric and adult cohorts and between plastic and transplant surgeons. METHODS: A systematic review of the literature using Medline, Embase, and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) was conducted on studies involving HAT in liver transplantations with microsurgery. Three reviewers performed a full article review and data extraction for studies meeting the eligibility criteria of the study. RESULTS: Forty-five studies were incorporated in the final analysis. A total of 7346 patients and 7506 liver transplants were included. The mean age was 17 years old with an equivalent distribution between pediatric (51%, n = 3218) and adult patients (49%, n = 3145). A total of 6351 of these transplantations underwent microsurgical repair, against 1157 with non-microsurgical techniques. The overall HAT rate was 4.9%, including 4.2% in the microsurgical group (n = 268) and 8.5% in the non-microsurgical group (n = 98), a statistically significant increase of 4.3%. The occurrence of HAT was 2.6% with a plastic surgeon versus 4.6% with other types of surgeons. When using microsurgical techniques, the HAT rate was 4.2% with living donors versus 7.7% with deceased donors. CONCLUSIONS: HAT and subsequent liver transplant failure are lower when microsurgical techniques, living donors, and plastic surgeons with a microsurgical training are involved in the operation.

Favorable experience of transplant strategy including liver grafts from COVID-19 donors: One-year follow-up results.

BACKGROUND: Since November 2020, Italy was the first country to carry out a protocol and use liver from COVID-19 donors. We aimed to evaluate the medium-term outcome of patients who underwent liver transplant (LT) with those grafts. METHODS: We consecutively enrolled 283 patients who underwent first LT from November 2020 to December 2022 in our Center (follow-up 468 days). Twenty-five of 283 (8.8%, study population) received a graft from donors with previous (4%) or active (96%) SARS-CoV-2 infection, and 258/283 (91.2%, control group) received a graft from COVID-19-negative donors. SARS-CoV-2-RNA was tested on graft tissue of COVID-19 donors and their recipients underwent weekly evaluation of SARS-CoV-2-RNA in nasal swabs for the first month after LT. RESULTS: One-year and 2-year patient survival was 88.5% and 88.5% in study group versus 94.5% and 93.5% in control group, respectively (p = .531). In study population there was no evidence of donor-recipient virus transmission, but three (12%) patients (vs. 7 [2.7%] of control group, p = .048) developed hepatic artery thrombosis (HAT): they were SARS-CoV-2-RNA negative at LT and 1/3 grafts tested SARS-CoV-2-RNA positive on liver tissue. COVID-19 donor was independently associated with HAT (odds ratio (OR) = 4.85, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.10-19.15; p = .037). By comparing study population with control group, acute rejection and biliary complication rates were not significantly different (16% vs. 8.1%, p = .26; 16% vs. 16.3% p = .99, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Our 1-year results of transplant strategy including liver grafts from COVID-19 donors were favorable. HAT was the only complication with significantly higher rate in patients transplanted with COVID-19 donors compared with control group.

Comparative analysis of whole vs. split liver transplantation in infants.

BACKGROUND: Liver transplantation (LT) in infants can be challenging due to their small size and small vasculature. Although both whole LT (WLT) and split LT (SLT) have been described in infants, the head-to-head comparison of these techniques in this population is sparse. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the records of all patients with age ≤1 year at Indiana University between 2016 and 2022. All SLT were left lateral segment grafts split in situ. RESULTS: A total of 24 infants were transplanted, with 11 SLT and 13 WLT. The median follow-up time was 52.1 months. Donor and recipient characteristics were comparable except for donor age (19 years vs. 2 years; p < .01) and weight (64 kg vs. 14.2 kg; p < .01). Early allograft dysfunction, primary nonfunction, and hepatic artery thrombosis developed more frequently in the WLT group. There were no biliary complications. There were two early deaths (2 and 4 days) in the WLT group. One-year graft survival (100% vs. 77%; p = .10) and patient survival (100% vs. 85%; p = .18) were numerically higher in the SLT group. CONCLUSIONS: SLT with LLS offers a safe and viable option for liver transplantation in infants and is associated with a trend toward superior outcomes. SLT should be considered as a strategy to reduce waitlist times for infants in the absence of small, deceased donors for WLT.

Diagnostic performance of contrast-enhanced ultrasound in diagnosing hepatic artery occlusion after liver transplantation: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Hepatic artery occlusion (HAO) is a significant complication post-liver transplantation. Doppler ultrasound (DUS) has been widely used as an initial screening test for detecting HAO; however, its performance is often not sufficient. Although other diagnostic tests such as computed tomography angiography (CTA), magnetic resonance angiography (MRA), and angiogram are more accurate, they are invasive and have several limitations. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) is an emerging tool for detecting HAO; however, the results from previous studies were limited due to a small number of patients. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate its performance by performing a meta-analysis. METHOD: We performed a systemic review and meta-analysis of studies evaluating the performance of CEUS for the detection of HAO in an adult population. A literature search of EMBASE, Scopus, CINAHL, and Medline was conducted through March 2022. Pooled sensitivity, specificity, log diagnostic odd ratio (LDOR), and area under summary receiver operating curve (AUC) were calculated. Publication bias was assessed by Deeks' funnel plot. RESULT: Eight studies were included, with 434 CEUS performed. Using a combination of CTA, MRA, angiography, clinical follow-up, and surgery as the gold standard, the sensitivity, specificity, and LDOR of CEUS for detection of HAO were .969 (.938, .996), .991 (.981, 1.001), and 5.732 (4.539, 6.926), respectively. AUC was .959. The heterogeneity between studies appeared universally low, and no significant publication bias was found (p = .44). CONCLUSION: CEUS appeared to have an excellent performance for the detection of HAO and could be considered as an alternative when DUS is non-diagnostic or when CTA, MRA, and angiogram are not feasible.

Immediate and Late Complications After Liver Transplantation.

Other than rejection, hepatic artery and portal vein thrombosis are the most common complications in the immediate postoperative period with hepatic arterial thrombosis more common and more devastating. Hepatic artery stenosis is more common 1 month after transplantation, whereas portal and hepatic vein stenosis is more often seen as a late complication. Ultrasound is the first-line imaging examination to diagnose vascular complications with contrast-enhanced CT useful if ultrasound findings are equivocal. MR cholangiography is often most helpful in diagnosing bile leaks, biliary strictures, and biliary stones.

Low hepatic artery resistive index on Doppler ultrasound performed on the first post-liver transplant day is associated both with hepatic artery thrombosis and decreased graft survival.

PURPOSE: Although liver transplantation (LT) outcomes have improved significantly over the last decades, early vascular complications are still associated with elevated risks of graft failure. Doppler ultrasound (DUS) enables detection of vascular complications, provides hepatic artery Resistive Index (RI). The aim of our study was to evaluate the association of the RI parameters of DUS performed in the first post-transplant week with post-transplant outcomes. METHODS: All consecutive patients undergoing a first LT between 2001 and 2019 at a single center were included. Patients were divided into two groups: RI < 0.55 and RI ≥ 0.55. Patients were also divided according to the presence or absence of hepatic artery thrombosis (HAT). Graft survival was compared between groups. RESULTS: Overall, 338 patients were included. HAT occurred in 23 patients (6.8%), of which 7 were partial and 16, complete. Biliary complications were more common in patients with HAT (10 [43.5%]) vs. 38 [12.1%] [p < 0.001]). Graft survival was lower for patients with HAT (p = 0.047). Also, RI < 0.55 was associated with increased incidence of HAT (p < 0.001). Additionally, patients with RI < 0.55 on post-operative day 1 had decreased graft survival as compared to patients with RI > 0.55 (p = 0.041). RI on post-operative day 3 and 5 was not predictive of inferior graft outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Intensive use of DUS in the early post-LT period offers the possibility of early diagnosis of vascular complications, guiding medical and surgical management of HAT. Additionally, according to our data, low RI (< 0.55) on the first postoperative day also is a predictor of HAT and decreased graft-survival.

Safety and efficacy of everolimus initiation from the first month after liver transplantation: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Everolimus, a selective inhibitor of mamalian target of rapamycin (mTORi), is considered to be an alternative immunosuppressive regimen in the liver transplantation (LT) setting. However, most of the transplant centers avoid its early use (i.e., during the first month) after LT mainly due to safety issues. METHODS: We searched for all articles published between 01/2010 and 7/2022 to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of initial/early administration of everolimus after LT. RESULTS: Seven studies (three randomized controlled trials and four prospective cohort studies) were included: initial/early everolimus-including therapy (group 1) was used in 512 (51%) and calcineurin inhibitor (CNI) based therapy (group 2) in 494 (49%) patients. No significant difference was found between group 1 and group 2 patients regarding the rates of biopsy-proven acute rejection episodes (Odds Ratio [OR]: 1.27, 95% CI: .67-2.41, p = .465) and hepatic artery thrombosis (OR: .43, 95% CI: .09-2.02, p = .289). Everolimus was associated with higher rates of dyslipidemia (14.2% vs. 6.8%, p = .005) and incisional hernia (29.2% vs. 10.1%, p < .001). Finally, no difference was found between the two groups regarding recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (Risk Rates [RR]: 1.22 95%CI: .66-2.29, p = .524) and mortality (RR: .85 95%CI: .48-1.50, p = .570). CONCLUSION: Use of initial/early everolimus seems to be effective with a satisfactory safety profile, making its administration a reasonable therapeutic option in the LT setting.

Pyogenic liver abscesses in liver transplant recipients versus non-transplant population. Outcome and risk factors of patient survival.

Pyogenic liver abscess (PLA) is a life-threatening infection in both liver transplant (LT) and non-LT patients. Several risk factors, such as benign and malignant hepatopancreatobiliary diseases and colorectal tumors have been associated with PLA in the non-LT population, and hepatic artery stricture/thrombosis, biliary stricture, and hepaticojejunostomy in the LT patients. The objective of this study is to compare the outcomes of patients with PLA in LT and non-LT patients and to determine the risk factors associated with patient survival. From January 2000 to November 2020, a total of 296 adult patients were diagnosed of PLA in our institution, of whom 26 patients had previously undergone liver transplantation (LTA group), whereas 263 patients corresponded to the non-LTA population. Seven patients with PLA who had undergone previous kidney transplantation were excluded from this retrospective study. Twenty-six patients out of 1503 LT developed PLA (incidence of 1.7%). Median age was significantly higher in non-LTA patients (p = .001). No significant differences were observed in therapy. PLA recurrence was significantly higher in LTA than in non-LTA (34.6% vs. 14.8%; p = .008). In-hospital mortality was greater in the LT group than in the non-LT group (19.2% vs. 9.1% p = .10) and was identified in multivariable analysis as a risk factor for mortality (p = .027). Mortality rate during follow-up did not show significant differences between the groups: 34.6% in LTA patients versus 26.2% in non-LTA patients (p = .10). The most common causes of mortality during follow-up were malignancies, Covid-19 infection, and neurologic disease. 1-, 3-, and 5-year actuarial patient survival rates were 87.0%, 64.1%, and 50.4%, respectively, in patients of LTA group, and 84.5%, 66.5%, and 51.0%, respectively, in patients with liver abscesses in non-LTA population (p = .53). In conclusion, LT was a risk factor for in hospital mortality, but not during long-term follow-up.

The Impact of Hepatic Artery Thrombosis on the Outcome of Pediatric Living Donor Liver Transplantations.

The aim of our study was to assess risk factors for hepatic artery thrombosis (HAT) and to evaluate the impact of HAT management on long-term outcomes after pediatric living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). We retrospectively analyzed 400 patients who underwent primary LDLT between 1999 and 2020. We compared preoperative data, surgical factors, complications, and patient and graft survivals in patients with HAT (HAT Group) and without HAT (non-HAT Group). A total of 27 patients (6.75%) developed HAT. Acute liver failure, a hepatic artery (HA) anastomosis diameter below 2 mm, and intraoperative HA flow dysfunction were significantly more common in the HAT Group (p < 0.05, p = 0.02026, and p = 0.0019, respectively). In the HAT Group, 21 patients (77.8%) underwent urgent surgical revision. The incidence of biliary stenosis and retransplantation was significantly higher in the HAT Group (p = 0.00002 and p < 0.0001, respectively). Patient and graft survivals were significantly worse in the HAT Group (p < 0.05). The close monitoring of HA flow with Doppler ultrasound during the critical period of 2 to 3 weeks after LDLT and the immediate attempt of surgical revascularization may attenuate the elevated risk of biliary stenosis, graft loss, and the need for retransplantation due to HAT.

Characteristics and Outcomes of Liver Transplantation Recipients after Tranexamic Acid Treatment and Platelet Transfusion: A Retrospective Single-Centre Experience.

Background and Objectives: Patients undergoing liver transplantation (LT) often require increased blood product transfusion due to pre-existing coagulopathy and intraoperative fibrinolysis. Strategies to minimise intraoperative bleeding and subsequent blood product requirements include platelet transfusion and tranexamic acid (TXA). Prophylactic TXA administration has been shown to reduce bleeding and blood product requirements intraoperatively. However, its clinical use is still debated. The aim of this study was to report on a single-centre practice and analyse clinical characteristics and outcomes of LT recipients according to intraoperative treatment of TXA or platelet transfusion. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective observational cohort study in which we reviewed 162 patients' records. Characteristics, intraoperative requirement of blood products, postoperative development of thrombosis and outcomes were compared between patients without or with intraoperative TXA treatment and without or with platelet transfusion. Results: Intraoperative treatment of TXA and platelets was 53% and 57.40%, respectively. Patients who required intraoperative administration of TXA or platelet transfusion also required more transfusion of blood products. Neither TXA nor platelet transfusion were associated with increased postoperative development of hepatic artery and portal vein thrombosis, 90-day mortality or graft loss. There was a significant increase in the median length of intensive care unit (ICU) stay in those who received platelet transfusion only (2.00 vs. 3.00 days; p = 0.021). Time to extubate was significantly different in both those who required TXA and platelet transfusion intraoperatively. Conclusions: Our analysis indicates that LT recipients still required copious intraoperative transfusion of blood products, despite the use of intraoperative TXA and platelets. Our findings have important implications for current transfusion practice in LT recipients and may guide clinicians to act upon these findings, which will support global efforts to encourage a wider use of TXA to reduce transfusion requirements, including platelets.

Risk factors indicating the need for surgical therapy in patients with pyogenic liver abscesses.

BACKGROUND: Percutaneous drainage (PD) and antibiotics are the therapy of choice (non-surgical therapy [non-ST]) for pyogenic liver abscesses (PLA), reserving surgical therapy (ST) for PD failure. The aim of this retrospective study was to identify risk factors that indicate the need for ST. METHODS: We reviewed the medical charts of all of our institution's adult patients with a diagnosis of PLA between January 2000 and November 2020. A series of 296 patients with PLA was divided into two groups according to the therapy used: ST (n = 41 patients) and non-ST (n = 255). A comparison between groups was performed. RESULTS: The overall median age was 68 years. Demographics, clinical history, underlying pathology, and laboratory variables were similar in both groups, except for the duration of PLA symptoms < 10 days and leukocyte count which were significantly higher in the ST group. The in-hospital mortality rate in the ST group was 12.2% vs. 10.2% in the non-ST group (p = 0.783), with biliary sepsis and tumor-related abscesses as the most frequent causes of death. Hospital stay and PLA recurrence were statistically insignificant between groups. One-year actuarial patient survival was 80.2% in the ST group vs. 84.6% in the non-ST (p = 0.625) group. The presence of underlying biliary disease, intra-abdominal tumor, and duration of symptoms for less than 10 days on presentation comprised the risk factors that indicated the need to perform ST. CONCLUSIONS: There is little evidence regarding the decision to perform ST, but according to this study, the presence of underlying biliary disease or an intra-abdominal tumor and the duration of PLA symptoms < 10 days upon presentation are risk factors that should sway the surgeons to perform ST instead of PD.

Comparison of reconstruction methods used during liver transplantation in case of a graft with replaced or accessory right hepatic artery: A retrospective study.

Variations in graft arterial anatomy can increase the risk of postoperative hepatic arterial thrombosis (HAT), especially in presence of a replaced or accessory right hepatic artery (RHA). We retrospectively analyzed 223 cases of liver transplantations with the presence of an RHA on the graft. Patient outcomes were compared according to the four different reconstruction methods used: (i) the re-implantation of the RHA into the splenic or gastroduodenal artery (n = 106); (ii) the interposition of the superior mesenteric artery (SMA) (n = 83); (iii) dual anastomosis (n = 24); (iv) use of an aortic patch including the origins of both the SMA and the coeliac trunk (n = 10). A competing risk analysis and Inverse Probability Weighting (IPW) were used. We found that the interposition of the SMA method was associated with a significantly lower incidence of HAT, at 4.8% compared to the re-implantation method at 17.9%, dual anastomosis at 12.5%, and aortic patch at 20%, p = .03. In the competing risk analysis with IPW, the only risk factor for RHA thrombosis was the type of reconstruction. Taking the SMA interposition group as the reference, the sub-hazard ratio (sHR) was 5.05 (CI 95 [1.72; 14.78], p < .01) for the re-implantation group, sHR = 2.37 (CI 95 [0.51; 11.09], p = .27) for the dual anastomosis group and sHR = 2.24 (CI 95 [0.35; 14.33], p = .40) for the aortic patch group. There were no differences for intraoperative transfusion, hospitalization duration (p = .37) or incidence of severe complications (p = .1). The long-term graft (p = .69) and patient (p = .52) survival was not different. In conclusion, the SMA interposition method was associated with a lower incidence of RHA thrombosis.

Utilization and outcomes of rescue hepatectomy among U.S. liver retransplant candidates.

INTRODUCTION: The frequency and outcomes of anhepatic patients listed for transplantation in the United States have not been studied. The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) records anhepatic status for patients listed as Status 1A for hepatic artery thrombosis (HAT) or primary non-function (PNF). METHODS: Using the UNOS database from 2005 to 2020, demographics and waitlist outcomes of anhepatic candidates relisted as Status 1A for HAT or PNF were assessed. RESULTS: Among 1364 adult Status 1A patients relisted for PNF or HAT across 120 distinct transplant centres, 75 (5.5%) patients were anhepatic and 1289 (94.5%) were non-anhepatic. A substantial number of centres (n = 51) had experience with ≥1 anhepatic patient relisted for either PNF or HAT, with individual centre rates ranging from 0% to 11.4%. Waitlist mortality was more than twice as high for anhepatic patients: 42.5% versus 17.0% non-anhepatic patients (p < .001). The post-transplant outcomes of anhepatic patients were markedly inferior to non-anhepatic patients. For example, 41.9% of anhepatic patients died during the index admission versus 23.4% of the non-anhepatic group (p = .006). Patient survival for the anhepatic and non-anhepatic groups was 48.3% versus 66.2% at 1-year and 29.3% versus 46.2% at 5-years, respectively (log-rank test for overall survival p = .014). CONCLUSIONS: Rescue hepatectomy after initial liver transplantation is not only associated with high waitlist mortality, but also markedly worse post-transplant outcomes. With less than half of anhepatic patients surviving to the first year post-LT, further research is warranted to better delineate which patients should be considered for rescue hepatectomy.

Evaluation of an Abnormal Liver Panel After Liver Transplantation.

Abnormal liver tests are common after liver transplantation. The differential diagnosis depends on the clinical context, particularly the time course, pattern and degree of elevation, and donor and recipient factors. The perioperative period has distinct causes compared with months and years after transplant, including ischemia-reperfusion injury, vascular thrombosis, and primary graft nonfunction. Etiologies seen beyond the perioperative period include biliary complications, rejection, infection, recurrent disease, and non-transplant-specific causes. The evaluation begins with a liver ultrasound with Doppler as well as appropriate laboratory testing and culminates in a liver biopsy if the imaging and laboratory testing is unrevealing.

Early postoperative duplex ultrasound findings of the hepatic artery in postoperative vascular complications from paediatric liver transplantation.

PURPOSE: To evaluate duplex US findings of the HA in all three postoperative vascular (HA, PV, HV and IVC) complications of paediatric LT for early detection and some helpful secondary signs to determine these vascular complications. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We collected data from 44 post-LT paediatric patients who underwent daily duplex US for seven consecutive days and three months after LT during January 2017-June 2020. Four duplex US parameters of the HA (extrahepatic PSV, intrahepatic PSV, RI and AT) were compared in patients with and without complications. RESULTS: The PSV of the extrahepatic HA in patients with HA complications was higher than that in patients without complications (P value = 0.019). The PSV at 107.7 cm/s is the optimal cut-off parameter associated with HA complications [a sensitivity of 88.9% and a specificity of 80.0% (ROC area is 0.84)]. The intrahepatic RI was higher on the first day than on the last day and gradually decreased in patients without vascular complications (P value = 0.000). The intrahepatic PSV significantly decreased with time when comparing the first and last days in patients without PV and HV-IVC complications (P value = 0.014 and 0.038). In contrast, patients with vascular complications showed no significant decrease. CONCLUSION: The extrahepatic PSV relates to HA complications after paediatric LT but not PV and HV-IVC complications. Non-significantly decreased intrahepatic RI and PSV from the first day to the day of complication diagnosis may correlate with the occurrence of vascular complications.