Living donor liver transplantation: summary of a conference at The National Institutes of Health.
Living donor liver transplantation for adults was developed only recently in an attempt to increase the pool of donor organs; to reduce morbidity and mortality; and to improve the long-term survival of patients in need of liver transplant. Within a few brief years, this procedure has gained widespread support by both the public and transplant community. The procedure will soon be performed by nearly 80% of all liver transplant programs in the United States. Unfortunately, the long-term risks of the procedure to the recipient and especially the donor remain undefined. In response to the rapid growth and enthusiasm for this procedure, the National Institutes of Health sponsored a workshop, the goals of which were to review the scientific, medical, and nonmedical issues associated with living donor liver transplantation, and to define questions for future basic and clinical investigations which could improve the success and applicability of this procedure.
Shiffman
Mitchell L
ML
Hepatology Section, Virginia Commonwealth University Health System, Richmond, VA, USA. mshiffma@hsc.vcu.edu
Brown
Robert S
RS
Olthoff
Kim M
KM
Everson
Gregory
G
Miller
Charles
C
Siegler
Mark
M
Hoofnagle
Jay H
JH
D000328:Adult; D006498:Hepatectomy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods / Q000401:mortality; D006801:Humans; D008115:Liver Regeneration; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019520:Living Donors / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009316:National Institutes of Health (U.S.); D014481:United States