title: Evaluation of living liver donors using contrast enhanced multidetector CT - The radiologists impact on donor selection.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) is a valuable and legitimate treatment for patients with end-stage liver disease. Computed tomography (CT) has proven to be an important tool in the process of donor evaluation. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the significance of CT in the donor selection process.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between May 1999 and October 2010 170 candidate donors underwent biphasic CT. We retrospectively reviewed the results of the CT and liver volumetry, and assessed reasons for rejection.
  
  
  RESULTS
  89 candidates underwent partial liver resection (52.4%). Based on the results of liver CT and volumetry 22 candidates were excluded as donors (31% of the cases). Reasons included fatty liver (n = 9), vascular anatomical variants (n = 4), incidental finding of hemangioma and focal nodular hyperplasia (n = 1) and small (n = 5) or large for size (n = 5) graft volume.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CT based imaging of the liver in combination with dedicated software plays a key role in the process of evaluation of candidates for LDLT. It may account for up to 1/3 of the contraindications for LDLT.
authors: Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Hannover Medical School, Carl-Neuberg Str, 1, 30625, Hannover, Germany. ringe.kristina@mh-hannover.de
authors: Kristina Imeen
authors: KI
authors: Ringe
authors: Bastian Paul
authors: BP
authors: Ringe
authors: Christian
authors: C
authors: von Falck
authors: Hoen-oh
authors: HO
authors: Shin
authors: Thomas
authors: T
authors: Becker
authors: Eva-Doreen
authors: ED
authors: Pfister
authors: Frank
authors: F
authors: Wacker
authors: Burckhardt
authors: B
authors: Ringe
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D046148:Donor Selection / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D019520:Living Donors / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011856:Radiographic Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012307:Risk Factors; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult