[Surgical methods in living donor liver transplantation: with report of 50 cases].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate and evaluate different surgical methods applied in living-donor liver transplantation (LDLT).


METHODS
Fifty patients with end-stage liver disease received LDLT in our department between January 1995 and March 2006. The data were analyzed on a retrospective basis. The choice of different surgical methods, strategies applied to ensure the safety of donors and indications of LDLT in the series were reviewed.


RESULTS
All donors recovered uneventfully. Among the 50 patients, 47 recipients presented with end-stage cirrhosis, 3 patients suffered from malignant tumor. To date, 6 recipients died after LDLT, among them, 3 recipients died of the operation and the other 3 recipients died of long-term complications. Resected donor livers included 9 cases of segments V, VI, VII and VIII (not including the middle hepatic veins) and 1 case of segments V, VI, VII and VIII (including the middle hepatic veins), 36 cases of segments II, III and IV (including the middle hepatic veins) and 4 cases of segments II, III, and part of IV (not including middle hepatic veins).


CONCLUSIONS
LDLT helps tackle the problem of donor shortage in the world. The process is complicated, and it is very important to choose appropriate surgical methods for the improvement of surgical achievement and donor safety.
Wang
Xue-Hao
XH
The Department of Liver Surgery, Liver Transplantation Center, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
Zhang
Feng
F
Li
Xiang-Cheng
XC
Li
Guo-Qiang
GQ
Cheng
Feng
F
Sun
Bei-Cheng
BC
Kong
Lian-Bao
LB
Ge
Wen-Gang
WG
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000601:surgery; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D019520:Living Donors; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies