title: Outcome of liver transplantation for hepatitis B: report of a single center's experience.
abstract: Results of liver transplantation (LT) for hepatitis B have improved significantly with the use of hepatitis B immune globulin (HBIG) and/or lamivudine. The aim of this study is to review the long-term outcome of patients who underwent LT for hepatitis B. Records of 41 patients who underwent LT for hepatitis B and survived 3 months or longer post-LT were reviewed. Twenty patients were administered no immunoprophylaxis or short-term intramuscular HBIG, whereas 21 patients were administered high-dose intravenous (IV) HBIG. Median post-LT follow-up in these 2 groups was 76 months (range, 4 to 155 months) and 25 months (range, 4 to 68 months), respectively. Hepatitis B recurred in 15 (75%) and 4 patients (19%) who underwent LT in the pre-HBIG and post-HBIG eras, respectively. Cumulative rates of recurrent hepatitis B at 1 and 3 years post-LT in these 2 groups were 66% and 77% and 20% and 20%, respectively (P <.001). Recurrent hepatitis B in the post-HBIG era correlated with antibody to hepatitis B surface antigen titer less than 100 IU/L. Nine patients with recurrent hepatitis B were administered lamivudine for 13 to 49 months (median, 28 months); 6 patients continued to have stable or improved liver disease, whereas 3 patients developed virological breakthrough with slow deterioration of liver disease. Long-term IV HBIG is effective in preventing recurrent hepatitis B. The risk for recurrent hepatitis B is negligible after the first year post-LT. Among patients with no virological breakthrough, lamivudine can stabilize or improve liver disease for up to 4 years in patients with recurrent hepatitis B post-LT.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, University of Michigan Medical Center, 3912 Taubman Center, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Chu
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Fontana
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.forename: D R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Armstrong
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Punch
authors.forename: G L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Su
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Magee
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Merion
authors.forename: A S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Lok
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D007136:Immunoglobulins / Q000627:therapeutic use; D019259:Lamivudine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016031:Liver Transplantation; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018894:Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D055502:Secondary Prevention; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D007136:Immunoglobulins; D018894:Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors; D019259:Lamivudine; C045213:hepatitis B hyperimmune globulin