[Living donor liver transplantation of the right liver lobe between adults].
OBJECTIVE
Adult living donor liver transplantation has been established in an increasing number of transplant centres during the last few years. Donor safety and risks are important criteria influencing the further development. We report our experience with 43 adult-to-adult right lobe living donor liver transplantations.


METHODS
43 patients (mean age: 49,8 +/- 16,0 years; f:m = 14:29) with end-stage liver disease received a right lobe liver graft from an adult living donor (mean age: 42,4 +/- 13,4 years; f:m = 27:16) between December 1999 and December 2001. An approval by the local ethics committee was obtained prior to the start of the programme and each donation.


RESULTS
None of the donors experienced fatal or long-term complications. The rate of surgical complications in donors (biliary leakage, bleeding) was 9 %. Actuarial recipient survival was 93 % after three months and 88 % after one year. Five patients had to be re-transplanted. Thus the actuarial 1-year graft survival was 79 %. Biliary complications occurred in 14 % of all recipients.


CONCLUSIONS
According to our experience, living donor liver transplantation of the right hepatic lobe is a safe and effective procedure. Especially for patients in acute and chronic liver failure, who otherwise would have died on the waiting list, this approach offers a life-saving option.
Steinmüller
T
T
Klinik für Allgemein, Viszeral und Transplantationschirurgie, Charité, Campus Virchow, Medizinische Fakultät der Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Germany. thomas.steinmueller@charite.de
Pascher
A
A
Sauer
I M
IM
Theruvath
T
T
Müller
A R
AR
Settmacher
U
U
Neuhaus
P
P
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001660:Biliary Tract Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006085:Graft Survival; D006801:Humans; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000379:methods* / Q000401:mortality / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012449:Safety; D016019:Survival Analysis; D014019:Tissue Donors / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*