title: Model for End Stage Liver Disease score does not predict graft survival after living donor liver transplantation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Although the Model End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score has been effective in the prediction of mortality in patients awaiting liver transplantation, its predictive value of survival after living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) needs further study.
  
  
  METHODS
  We report our experience with 142 cases of LDLT, analyzing the impact of the MELD score on the graft survival after LDLT.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 142 grafts, 18 failed during the observation period. One-, 3- and 5-year survival rates were 92%, 87% and 82%, respectively. Cox proportional hazard model revealed that MELD score did not predict graft survival (p=0.43, relative risk = 1.0).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present results may indicate that the preoperative MELD score was of little help for determining the indication of LDLT.
authors.affiliation: Artificial Organ and Transplantation Surgery Division, Department of Surgery, University of Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Ender
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dulundu
authors.forename: Yasuhiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sugawara
authors.forename: Yoji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kishi
authors.forename: Nobuhisa
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Akamatsu
authors.forename: Junichi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kaneko
authors.forename: Masatoshi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Makuuchi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006085:Graft Survival; D006801:Humans; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000379:methods / Q000401:mortality*; D019520:Living Donors; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012189:Retrospective Studies