title: Possible benefit of splenectomy in liver transplantation for autoimmune hepatitis.
abstract: Liver transplantation for autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is usually successful with excellent long-term outcomes, but primary disease may recur. The recurrence of AIH is a significant cause of graft loss. This study was to analyze the effect of splenectomy in preventing AIH relapse. The clinical courses of 12 patients who had transplantation for AIH were analyzed retrospectively. All patients were subjected to transplantation for end-stage liver disease caused by chronic AIH. Based on the duration of immunosuppressive treatment before liver transplantation, simultaneous splenectomy was performed in ten patients. Two patients underwent liver transplantation without splenectomy, one of them developed recurrent AIH and died from graft failure caused by AIH relapse. However, no episode of AIH recurrence was observed in patients who had undergone simultaneous splenectomy. Splenectomy might be an option to prevent AIH relapse in some patients with high risk factors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Liver Transplantation and Hepatobiliary Surgery, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan 250021, China. xyt@mail.sdu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Yan-Tian
authors.initials: YT
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: De-Jie
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Fan-Ying
authors.initials: FY
authors.lastname: Meng
authors.forename: Guang-Bing
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D058625:End Stage Liver Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D019693:Hepatitis, Autoimmune / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000401:mortality; D008875:Middle Aged; D012008:Recurrence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013156:Splenectomy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000401:mortality; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents