Donor experience and outcome of pediatric living-related liver transplantation in Saudi Arabia.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this article is to present the first series of living donation of liver grafts in Saudi Arabia, as well as in the Arab World, and to report the morbidity and mortality of the living donors after such procedures.


METHODS
A retrospective review of the medical charts of 37 living donors who were involved in the procedure of living-related liver transplantation (LRLT), that took place in Riyadh Armed Forces Hospital in the period between November 1998 and July 2002, is conducted.


RESULTS
The age of living donors ranged between 21 and 41 years, and there were 22 women and 15 men. All donors are first-degree relatives, apart from 2 donors who were the cousins of the recipients. There was no mortality among the donors. The morbidity was minimal, including 3 cases of biliary leakage and 1 of incisional hernia. Of 39 pediatric liver transplantations that have been done over the above period, only 2 cases had cadaveric liver transplantation and these were excluded from this study. All donors had left lateral segment donation, apart from one who had right lobe, segments V-VIII donation to a 14-year-old recipient.


CONCLUSIONS
Living donation of hepatic graft is a safe procedure for the donors with an excellent outcome. Living-related liver transplantation is the optimal treatment for end-stage liver disease and the solution for the scarcity of cadaveric liver grafts. The level of acceptance of living donation of hepatic grafts among the Saudi people is favorable.
Al-Shurafa
Haider
H
Prince Sultan Liver Transplantation Unit, Hepatobiliary and Transplantation Surgery Division, Surgery Department, Riyadh Armed Forces Hospital, P.O. Box 7897\B85, Riyadh 11159, Saudi Arabia.
Jawdat
Muaffak
M
Wali
Sami
S
Chehab
May
M
Shahid
Muna
M
Djuberg
Hans
H
Bassas
Atef
A
D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006498:Hepatectomy / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D016031:Liver Transplantation; D019520:Living Donors; D008297:Male; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012529:Saudi Arabia; D016896:Treatment Outcome