Platelet transfusion can be related to liver regeneration after living donor liver transplantation.
BACKGROUND
Although liver regeneration is a fundamental aspect of living donor liver transplantation (LDLT), the factors that affect liver regeneration during the early post-transplantation period have not been thoroughly investigated. Recently it was suggested that platelets contribute to liver regeneration. The aim of the present study was to identify the major factors that affect liver graft regeneration during the early post-transplantation period.


METHODS
Eighty-seven right liver grafted, adult-to-adult LDLT patients were retrospectively analyzed. Liver regeneration was assessed by volumetry from computed tomographic (CT) scans obtained between the 9th and 11th postoperative days. The authors investigated relationships between clinical variables and liver graft regeneration rates, and they conducted multiple regression analysis on factors found to be significant by univariate analysis.


RESULTS
Mean graft weight at operation was 722.9 +/- 109.7 g, and mean graft volume assessed by follow-up CT was 1,042.2 +/- 155.6 ml, reflecting a mean liver graft regeneration of 45.9 +/- 22.3%. The graft regeneration was found to correlate inversely with graft-to-recipient weight ratio (GRWR, r = -0.406, p < 0.001) and directly with portal flow velocity (cm/s; r = 0.307; p = 0.004) and splenic index (cm(3); r = 0.282; p = 0.009). Moreover, the total amount (units) of platelets transfused was found to be significantly associated with graft regeneration (r = 0.293; p = -.006). Stepwise regression analysis showed that GRWR (beta = -33.124; p = 0.001), total amount of platelets transfused (beta = 0.771; p = 0.012), and splenic index (beta = -0.010; p = 0.049) were independently associated with graft regeneration.


CONCLUSIONS
The results of the present study suggest that platelets play a significant role in human liver regeneration after LDLT.
Department of Surgery, Kyung Hee University Medical Center, Kyung Hee University College of Medicine, 1 Hoegi-Dong, Dongdaemun-Gu, Seoul, 130-702, Republic of Korea.
Joohyun
J
Kim
Nam-Joon
NJ
Yi
Woo Young
WY
Shin
Taehoon
T
Kim
Kuhn Uk
KU
Lee
Kyung-Suk
KS
Suh
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008115:Liver Regeneration / Q000502:physiology*; D016031:Liver Transplantation; D019520:Living Donors; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017713:Platelet Transfusion; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D055815:Young Adult