[Liver transplantation for primary biliary cirrhosis: retrospective analysis of 52 patients in QLTS].
OBJECTIVE
Retrospectively analyzing post-transplant primary biliary cirrhosis patients to document the actual survival time, the cause of post-transplant death, and recurrences after liver transplantation in patients followed up by the Queensland Liver Transplant Service (QLTS).


METHODS
The case notes of all post-piggyback liver transplantation patients followed up by QLTS were reviewed. We analyzed the clinical characteristics of the PBC patients, post-transplant actual survival rates, the causes of post-transplant death, and risk factors of recurrence, and compared the survival rates between patients with and without liver transplantation using a European model.


RESULTS
Fifty-two post-transplant patients with 54 transplantations were identified with an average age of 53 years and a mean follow-up time of 55 months. The actual survival times of PBC patients with grafts for 1 years, 5 years and 10 years were 88.4%, 80.1%, 76.9% and 80.9%, 65.4%, 19.8%. The causes of death were MOF intra-abdominal bleeding, renal failure, sepsis and cardiovascular diseases. Comparing the survival rates between with and without transplantation, 8.5% of PBC patients have recurrences with an average recurrent time of 34 months.


CONCLUSIONS
(1) Liver transplantation could improve survival rates, but the optimum time for transplantation should be focused on; (2) A long-term and larger follow-up sampling should be done to understand the effects of recurrences on patient's long-term survival; (3) CsA may play a more important role in preventing recurrence of PBC than Tacrolimus
Xu
Chong-En
CE
Department of General Surgery, Shandong Provincial Qianfoshan Hospital, Jinan 250014, China.
Lynch
Stephen V
SV
Balderson
Glenda A
GA
Fawcett
Jonathan
J
Strong
Russell W
RW
Yeong
Shinn
S
D016572:Cyclosporine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D008105:Liver Cirrhosis, Biliary / Q000601:surgery*; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000401:mortality; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011184:Postoperative Period; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D055502:Secondary Prevention; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D016572:Cyclosporine