title: Expectations from imaging for pre-transplant evaluation of living donor liver transplantation.
abstract: Living donor liver transplant (LDLT) is a major surgical undertaking. Detailed pre-operative assessment of the vascular and biliary anatomy is crucial for safe and successful harvesting of the graft and transplantation. Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are currently the imaging modalities of choice in pre-operative evaluation. These cross-sectional imaging techniques can reveal the vascular and biliary anatomy, assess the hepatic parenchyma and perform volumetric analysis. Knowledge of the broad indications and contraindications to qualify as a recipient for LDLT is essential for the radiologist reporting scans in a pre-transplant patient. Similarly, awareness of the various anatomical variations and pathological states in the donor is essential for the radiologist to generate a meaningful report of his/her observations. CT and MRI have largely replaced invasive techniques such as catheter angiography, percutaneous cholangiography and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography. In order to generate a meaningful report based on these pre-operative imaging scans, it is also mandatory for the radiologist to be aware of the surgeon's perspective. We intend to provide a brief overview of the common surgical concepts of LDLT and give a detailed description of the minimum that a radiologist is expected to seek and report in CT and MR scans performed for LDLT related evaluation.
authors.affiliation: Tiffany Hennedige, Gopinathan Anil, Department of Diagnostic Imaging, National University Health and Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, Singapore 119074, Singapore.
authors.forename: Tiffany
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hennedige
authors.affiliation: Tiffany Hennedige, Gopinathan Anil, Department of Diagnostic Imaging, National University Health and Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, Singapore 119074, Singapore.
authors.forename: Gopinathan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Anil
authors.affiliation: Tiffany Hennedige, Gopinathan Anil, Department of Diagnostic Imaging, National University Health and Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, Singapore 119074, Singapore.
authors.forename: Krishnakumar
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Madhavan
keywords: Biliary anatomy and variants; Computed tomography; Liver transplantation; Magnetic resonance imaging; Pre-living donor liver transplant imaging; Vascular anatomy and variants