Auxiliary partial orthotopic liver transplantation in acute liver failure due to hepatitis B.
Auxiliary partial orthotopic liver transplantation is an alternative therapeutic modality in acute liver failure, wherein the capacity of native liver to regenerate is preserved. A case of acute liver failure due to hepatitis B in an 18-year-old male patient treated with an auxiliary left lateral segment graft is described. There was no recurrence of hepatitis B in the auxiliary graft and the patient cleared the virus after 9 months whilst receiving lamivudine. Immunosuppression was withdrawn at 14 months, and the auxiliary graft atrophied secondary to hepatic arterial conduit thrombosis, possibly precipitated by immunosuppression withdrawal. The native liver regenerated completely, and the patient is well and off immunosuppressive and antiviral therapy 3 years after transplantation. Auxiliary partial orthotopic liver transplantation is an attractive treatment option in acute liver failure due to hepatitis B infection and allows a life free of long-term immunosuppression.
Institute of Liver Studies, King's College Hospital, Denmark Hill, London SE5 9RS, UK.
Sanjiv
S
Saigal
Parthi
P
Srinivasan
John
J
Devlin
Bastiaan
B
de Boer
Buxton
B
Thomas
Bernard
B
Portmann
Nigel D
ND
Heaton
John
J
O'Grady
Mohamed
M
Rela
D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D006498:Hepatectomy / Q000379:methods; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology; D017093:Liver Failure / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery*; D008111:Liver Function Tests; D008115:Liver Regeneration; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D016896:Treatment Outcome