Clinical experience in liver transplantation from an organ transplantation center in China.
OBJECTIVE
To sum up the experience in liver transplantation in a period of ten years at a single center.


METHODS
We retrospectively reviewed the clinical records of 120 patients receiving liver transplantation from April 1993 to October 2002. The patients' clinical characteristics, surgical techniques, complications and survival were compared in the phases of 1993-1997 (phase I), 1999 (phase II), and 2000-2002 (phase III).


RESULTS
Malignant liver diseases were major indications for liver transplantation in phase I (100%) and II (53.3%), but decreased markedly in percentage in phase III (34.0%). When compared with recipients in phase I and II, the survival of recipients with benign liver diseases in phase III was significantly improved with the 3-month, 6-month and 1-year survival rates of 85.7%, 84.5% and 83.1%, respectively. For patients with malignant liver diseases, the 3-month, 6-month and 1-year survival rates were 87.4%, 81.1% and 46.0%, respectively. The reinfection rate of hepatitis B virus was 24% 12 months after transplantation. With technical refinements, the incidence of postransplantation vascular complications has significantly decreased from 29.4% in phase I and II to 4.9% in phase III. Biliary complications remained one of the major obstacles to long-term survival. No veno-venous bypass was applied in phase III, providing a promising outcome.


CONCLUSIONS
Strict selection of potential recipients, technical refinement, appropriate management of vascular and biliary complications, and prophylaxis of recurrences of hepatitis B and malignant liver diseases are important to obtain long-term survival of patients receiving liver transplantation in China.
Zheng
Shu-Sen
SS
Department of Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310003, China. zhengss@mail.hz.zj.cn
Liang
Ting-Bo
TB
Wang
Wei-Lin
WL
Huang
Dong-Sheng
DS
Shen
Yan
Y
Zhang
Min
M
Xu
Xiao
X
Mou
Ling-Jun
LJ
D000328:Adult; D001660:Biliary Tract Diseases / Q000209:etiology; D002681:China; D005260:Female; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000601:surgery; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011184:Postoperative Period; D012008:Recurrence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis; D014652:Vascular Diseases / Q000209:etiology