title: Prognosis after liver transplantation predicted by preoperative MELD score.
abstract: The model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) has been an excellent predictor of 3-month mortality among cirrhotic patients awaiting orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the preoperative MELD score predicts short-term prognosis after OLT. We enrolled 98 adult liver transplant patients performed at our center from January 2001 to December 2002. In univariate analysis of risk factors for death within 3 and 6 months after liver transplantation, serum total bilirubin, creatinine, MELD score, hyponatremia with ascites, Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP) score were statistically significant parameters (P < .05). By logistic regression, none of the risk factors were subjected to multivariate analysis showed statistical significance. The odds ratios of the MELD score, hyponatremia with ascites, CTP score within 3 months were 0.997, 1.151, and 0.726 with 95% confidence intervals of [0.899, 1.105], [0.102, 12.959], and [0.389, 1.352], respectively. The odds ratio of MELD score, hyponatremia with ascites, CTP score within 6 months were 0.996, 0.914, and 0.764, with 95% confidence intervals of [0.901, 1.102], [0.089, 9.369], and [0.417, 1.401], respectively. Although MELD score has been a good predictor of short-term prognosis before OLT, MELD did not show an influence on the short-term prognosis after liver transplantation in this study.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, 50 Ilwon-dong, Kangnam-gu, Seoul, Korea 135-710.
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: S-K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Jo
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: C H D
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Kwon
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Y S
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Park
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D006801:Humans; D017093:Liver Failure / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000401:mortality / Q000502:physiology*; D008954:Models, Biological; D011379:Prognosis; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome