Donor complications associated with living donor liver transplantation in Japan.
BACKGROUND
The Japanese Liver Transplantation Society presented its first report on donor morbidity in 2003. The Society has been continuing to survey outcomes in living liver donors in Japan.


METHODS
By using a uniform comprehensive medical record review process, data were collected on 3565 living liver donors who had donated grafts by the end of December 2006 at 38 Japanese centers.


RESULTS
Preoperative problems were reported in 2 donors, intraoperative problems in 27, and postoperative complications in 270. In total, 299 donors (8.4%) suffered complications related to liver donation. Postoperative complications included biliary complications in 3.0%, reoperation in 1.3%, severe after-effects in two (0.06%), and death (apparently related to donor surgery) in one donor (0.03%). The incidence of postoperative complications in left and right lobe donors was 8.7% and 9.4%, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
The accumulated experience indicates a reduction in the incidence of donor complications, especially for right lobe resection. One donor death and two cases of severe after effects related to liver donation have been reported during 18 years of living donor liver transplantation experience in Japan.
Hashikura
Yasuhiko
Y
Transplantation Center, Shinshu University Hospital, Matsumoto, Japan.
Ichida
Takafumi
T
Umeshita
Koji
K
Kawasaki
Seiji
S
Mizokami
Masashi
M
Mochida
Satoshi
S
Yanaga
Katsuhiko
K
Monden
Morito
M
Kiyosawa
Kendo
K
D044466:Asian People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006498:Hepatectomy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000208:ethnology / Q000401:mortality; D019520:Living Donors; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000209:etiology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery; D012042:Registries; D012086:Reoperation; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors