Liberal policy of split liver for pediatric liver transplantation. A single centre experience.
We adopted a liberal policy of extensive use of split liver in a pediatric liver transplantation (LT) program. Over a 19-month period, we have performed 64 LT in 54 patients with pediatric indications. One patient received two liver grafts as a part of a liver-small bowel transplantation and was not considered. Of the 60 LT considered, performed in 53 patients, 34 were with split grafts. The 1-year actuarial survival for the patients transplanted with a split graft was 81% and 89% when only elective cases were considered. The median time on the waiting list was 22 days with no mortality. The extensive use of split liver allowed transplantation in a large number of pediatric patients, with good results without the need for living donor liver transplantation. We envisage a trend towards systematic splitting of liver grafts.
Colledan
M
M
Liver Transplantation Unit, Ospedali Riuniti, Bergamo, Italy. mcolled@tin.it
Segalin
A
A
Spada
M
M
Lucianetti
A
A
Corno
V
V
Gridelli
B
B
D000206:Actuarial Analysis; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006498:Hepatectomy / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007421:Intestine, Small / Q000637:transplantation; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000379:methods* / Q000401:mortality; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D013997:Time Factors; D014019:Tissue Donors; D020858:Tissue and Organ Harvesting / Q000379:methods*; D014850:Waiting Lists