title: New insights after the first 1000 liver transplantations at The University of Hong Kong.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  One thousand liver transplantations have been performed at the only liver transplant center in Hong Kong over a period of 22 years, which covered the formative period of living donor liver transplantation. These 1000 transplantations, which marked the journey of liver transplantation from development to maturation at the center, should be educational. This research was to study the experience and to reflect on the importance of technical innovations and case selection.
  
  
  METHODS
  The first 1000 liver transplantations were studied. Key technical innovations and surgical therapeutics were described. Recipient survival including hospital mortality was analyzed. Recipient survival comparison was made for deceased donor liver transplantation and living donor liver transplantation indicated by hepatocellular carcinoma and other diseases.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among the 1000 transplantations, 418 used deceased donor grafts and 582 used living donor grafts. With the accumulation of experience, hospital mortality improved to < 2% in the past 2 years. In the treatment of diseases other than hepatocellular carcinoma, living donor liver transplantation was superior to deceased donor liver transplantation, with a 10-year recipient survival around 90%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Transplant outcomes have been improving consistently over the series, with a very low hospital mortality and a predictably high long-term survival.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Queen Mary Hospital, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China. Electronic address: seechingchan@gmail.com.
authors.forename: See Ching
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Queen Mary Hospital, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: Tan To
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Cheung
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Queen Mary Hospital, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: Albert C Y
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Queen Mary Hospital, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: Kenneth S H
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Chok
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Queen Mary Hospital, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: William W
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: Sharr
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Queen Mary Hospital, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: James Y Y
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Fung
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Queen Mary Hospital, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: Chi Leung
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Queen Mary Hospital, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: Sheung Tat
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Queen Mary Hospital, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: Chung Mau
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Lo
mesh_terms: D006723:Hong Kong; D017052:Hospital Mortality / Q000639:trends; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000379:methods / Q000401:mortality / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019520:Living Donors; D058996:Quality Improvement / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends; D015996:Survival Rate / Q000639:trends; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: deceased donor liver transplantation; experience; living donor liver transplantation