title: Trend and outcome of Korean patients receiving overseas solid organ transplantation between 1999 and 2005.
abstract: The disparity between patients awaiting transplantation and available organs forced many patients to go overseas to receive a transplant. Few data concerning overseas transplantation in Korea are available and the Korea Society for Transplantation conducted a survey to evaluate the trend and outcome of overseas transplantation. The survey, conducted on June 2006, included 25 hospitals nationwide that followed up patients after receiving kidney transplant (KT) or liver transplant (LT) overseas. The number of KT increased from 6 in 2001 to 206 in 2005 and for LT from 1 to 261. The information about overseas transplant came mostly from other patients (57%). The mean cost for KT was $21,000 and for LT $47,000. Patients were admitted for 18.5 days for KT and 43.4 days for LT. Graft and patient survival was 96.8% and 96.5% for KT (median follow up 23.1 months). Complication occurred in 42.5% including surgical complication (5.3%), acute rejection (9.7%) and infection (21.5%). Patient survival for LT was 91.8% (median follow up 21.2 months). Complication occurred in 44.7% including 19.4% biliary complication. Overseas KT and LT increased rapidly from 2001 to 2005. Survival of patients and grafts was comparable to domestic organ transplantation, but had a high complication rate.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Choon Hyuck David
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Kwon
authors.forename: Suk-Koo
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Jongwon
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ha
mesh_terms: D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000150:complications; D006085:Graft Survival; D006801:Humans; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000191:economics / Q000639:trends; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000191:economics / Q000639:trends; D016377:Organ Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000191:economics / Q000639:trends*; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D056910:Republic of Korea; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires