Liver regeneration after living adult right lobe transplantation.
BACKGROUND
The purpose of this study was to describe liver regeneration in patients undergoing living-adult liver transplantation.


METHODS
This prospective study included 10 donors and eight recipients who had a total of 65 computed tomographic (CT) scans. All patients had preoperative CT ( n = 18), and follow-up CT scans ( n = 47) were obtained for up to 14 months after transplantation. Liver and spleen volumes were measured by hand tracing each organ on the axial portal venous phase images.


RESULTS
Both donors and recipients showed immediate increases in liver volume. However, liver regeneration was significantly faster and reached a higher peak in recipients than in donors. Splenic volume in donors demonstrated an initial increase followed by a decline, reaching the preoperative volume after 1 year. Splenic volume in recipients demonstrated immediate decline postoperatively.


CONCLUSIONS
Restoration of liver volume occurred rapidly after transplantation, but followed different patterns in donors and recipients. Deviation from these patterns warrants further investigation.
Kamel
I R
IR
The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 600 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA.
Erbay
N
N
Warmbrand
G
G
Kruskal
J B
JB
Pomfret
E A
EA
Raptopoulos
V
V
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008115:Liver Regeneration; D016031:Liver Transplantation; D019520:Living Donors; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013154:Spleen / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed