Model for End Stage Liver Disease score does not predict graft survival after living donor liver transplantation.
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.
Dulundu
Ender
E
Artificial Organ and Transplantation Surgery Division, Department of Surgery, University of Tokyo, Japan.
Sugawara
Yasuhiko
Y
Kishi
Yoji
Y
Akamatsu
Nobuhisa
N
Kaneko
Junichi
J
Makuuchi
Masatoshi
M
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