title: Liver transplantation for primary biliary cirrhosis in a hepatitis endemic region: a single-center Asian experience.
abstract: From March 1984 to November 2008, we performed 539 primary liver transplantations (LTs). Nineteen (19, 3.5%) were transplanted for end-stage liver disease secondary to primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC). There were 17 (89%) female and 2 (11%) male recipients. The overall mean age was 50.3 ± 6.3 yr. The mean model for end-stage liver disease, and Child-Turcotte-Pugh scores were 20.7 ± 2.1, and 11.0 ± 0.5, respectively. There were 2 (11%) United Network for Organ Sharing status 3, 16 (84%) 2B, and 1 (5%) 2A patients. Fourteen patients (14, 73.7%) underwent living donor LT, and five patients (26.3%) received deceased donor LT. The primary immunosuppression consisted of cyclosporine (n = 5) and tacrolimus (n = 14). Liver function returned to normal one month after transplantation. The overall mean follow-up was 5.8 ± 0.8 yr (range, four months to 15.7 yr). The overall one-, three-, and five-yr survival rates were 94.7%, 89.2%, and 89.2%, respectively. Without hepatitis B virus (HBV) prophylaxis, one patient acquired de novo HBV infection after receiving a graft from an anti-HBc(+) donor. Another patient developed recurrent hepatitis C infection and expired 25 months after transplantation. Our results showed that HBV prophylaxis was effective not only against de novo infection, but it also worked on pre-transplant HBV carrier with PBC and helped in virus clearance.
authors.affiliation: Liver Transplant Program, Department of Surgery, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital-Kaohsiung Medical Center, 123 Ta-Pei Road, Niao-Sung, Kaohsiung 83301, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Cheuk-Kwan
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Chao-Long
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Allan M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Concejero
authors.forename: Chih-Chi
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Shih-Ho
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Yueh-Wei
authors.initials: YW
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Chin-Hsiang
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Chee-Chien
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Yong
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002681:China; D016572:Cyclosporine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D019353:Endemic Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000821:virology; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D006801:Humans; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008105:Liver Cirrhosis, Biliary / Q000601:surgery* / Q000821:virology; D016031:Liver Transplantation; D019520:Living Donors; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015996:Survival Rate; D016559:Tacrolimus / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D016572:Cyclosporine; D016559:Tacrolimus