title: The effect of a positive T-lymphocytotoxic crossmatch on clinical outcomes in adult-to-adult living donor liver transplantation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  There is controversy concerning the effect of a positive T-lymphocytotoxic crossmatch (TLC) on clinical outcomes in adult living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of TLC on clinical outcomes in LDLT and to determine how long a pretransplant positive TLC continues after liver transplantation (LT).
  
  
  METHODS
  Between January 2005 and June 2010, 219 patients underwent adult LDLT at National Cancer Center. The TLC test was routinely performed before LDLT. TLC test results were positive in 8 patients (3.7%). Patients were divided into 2 groups according to the result of TLC: positive TLC (n = 8) and negative TLC (n = 211) groups. All patients with a pretransplant positive TLC (n = 6) underwent a TLC test every week until negative conversion of TLC, except 2 patients who refused to receive the TLC test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Acute cellular rejection, surgical complications and patient or graft survival were not significantly different between both groups. All patients with a positive TLC (n = 6) had a posttransplant negative TLC. The median time to negative conversion of TLC was 1.5 weeks (range, 1 to 3 weeks).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A pretransplant positive TLC does not affect clinical outcomes in adult LDLT. Moreover, T-lymphocytotoxic cross-reactivity disappeared within 3 weeks (range, 1 to 3 weeks) after LT.
authors.affiliation: Center for Liver Cancer, National Cancer Center, Goyang, Korea.
authors.forename: Young-Kyu
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Seong Hoon
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: In Sung
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: Moon
authors.forename: Sung-Sik
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Seong Yeon
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Tae
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: You
authors.forename: Sang-Jae
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Park
keywords: Acute rejection; Crossmatch; Living donor liver transplantation; Survival