Living donor liver transplantation outcomes depend on underlying causes

Living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) is difficult to perform on infants <6 months old but outcomes are favorable depending on underlying causes, according to a study.

In this study, researchers identified and analyzed the outcomes of patients <6 months old who underwent LDLT. Of the 9 patients included, 2 had biliary atresia, 1 had Alagille syndrome, 1 had protein C deficiency, and 5 had acute liver failure.

At the time of liver transplants, median age was 129 days and median weight was 4.8 kg. Graft types included left lateral segment (LLS) in 4 patients, hyper-reduced LLS in 4 patients, and monosegment in 1 patient. The median graft-to-recipient weight ratio was 4. During the median follow-up period of 14 months, 2 patients died and 2 were completely weaned off immunosuppressants.

Surgical planning utilized preoperative reconstructive imaging to estimate graft thickness.

Reference
Yeh YT, Liu C, Tsai HL, et al. Living donor liver transplantation for small infants aged less than 6 months: The experience of a single institute. J Pediatr Surg. 2021:S0022-3468(21)00256-6. DOI: 10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2021.03.022. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33840505.