Evolution of living donor liver transplantation over 10 years: experience of a single center.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the changes in living donor liver transplantations (LDLTs) over the last 10 years, we analyzed our experience of performing LDLT in a single center.


METHODS
We performed 73 LDLTs over the 10 years between 1997 and 2007 in Nagasaki University Hospital, Japan.


RESULTS
Initially, from 1997 to 2003, LDLT was performed for pediatric patients; then, between 2004 and 2007, adult-to-adult LDLT was introduced, primarily for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in liver cirrhosis. We also began performing LDLTs for adults with ABO-incompatible blood type combination in the latter period. As the number of adult-to-adult LDLTs increased, left-sided grafts became fi rst choice for these patients. Survival rates were 88.3%, 77.2%, 70.2% at 1, 3, and 5 years, respectively. There was a relatively low incidence of arterial complications, and although the incidence of biliary complications was high initially, it decreased with experience. Likewise, the operative time, blood loss, and hospital stay after LDLT also improved remarkably.


CONCLUSIONS
Over the last 10 years the indications for, and operative techniques used in LDLT have changed dramatically, even in a single center in Japan.
Eguchi
Susumu
S
Department of Surgery, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, 1-7-1 Sakamoto, Nagasaki, 852-8501, Japan.
Takatsuki
Mitsuhisa
M
Hidaka
Masaaki
M
Tajima
Yoshitsugu
Y
Kanematsu
Takashi
T