Twenty cases of adult-to-adult living-related liver transplantation: single-center experience in Saudi Arabia.
BACKGROUND
The deceased donor organ shortage has forced surgeons to implement innovations, including living-related liver transplantation (LRLT).


OBJECTIVE
To present the first 20 cases of adult LRLT in a single center in Saudi Arabia.


METHODS
From November 2000 to May 2004, we performed 20 cases of LRLT. Eighteen donors were men and 2 were women. Their median age was 27 years. Seventeen of the recipients were men and 3 were women of median age 55 years. One patient received combined liver and kidney grafts.


RESULTS
All cases had liver cirrhosis. Seven had hepatitis C; six, hepatitis B and C; three, hepatitis B; one, alcoholic cirrhosis; one, Bylar disease, one hepatic schistosomiasis, and one cryptogenic cirrhosis. Three cases had associated hepatocellular carcinomas. There was no donor mortality. In the recipients, the overall patient and graft survival was 85%. While 10 donors presented uneventful postoperative courses, 8 experienced minor complications and 2, major complications: biliary stricture and portal vein thrombosis. Recipients complications included biliary complications (35%), acute rejection (20%), hepatitis C reactivation (20%), hepatic vein stenosis (10%), hepatic artery stenosis (5%), and hepatocellular carcinoma recurrence (5%).


CONCLUSIONS
LRLT has become a standard option in adults with end-stage liver failure in our center.
Abdullah
K
K
Department of Hepatobiliary Science and Liver Transplantation, King Abdul Aziz Medical City, King Fahad National Guard Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Khalid_374@hotmail.com
Abdeldayem
H
H
Hali
W O
WO
Sakran
A
A
Yassen
K
K
Abdulkareem
A
A
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006498:Hepatectomy / Q000379:methods; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000150:complications; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000379:methods; D007902:Length of Stay; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000601:surgery; D017093:Liver Failure / Q000601:surgery; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000379:methods* / Q000401:mortality / Q000502:physiology; D019520:Living Donors / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009679:Nuclear Family; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000145:classification; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D020858:Tissue and Organ Harvesting / Q000379:methods; D016896:Treatment Outcome