title: Doppler ultrasonography in living donor liver transplantation recipients: Intra- and post-operative vascular complications.
abstract: Living-donor liver transplantation has provided a solution to the severe lack of cadaver grafts for the replacement of liver afflicted with end-stage cirrhosis, fulminant disease, or inborn errors of metabolism. Vascular complications remain the most serious complications and a common cause for graft failure after hepatic transplantation. Doppler ultrasound remains the primary radiological imaging modality for the diagnosis of such complications. This article presents a brief review of intra- and post-operative living donor liver transplantation anatomy and a synopsis of the role of ultrasonography and color Doppler in evaluating the graft vascular haemodynamics both during surgery and post-operatively in accurately defining the early vascular complications. Intra-operative ultrasonography of the liver graft provides the surgeon with useful real-time diagnostic and staging information that may result in an alteration in the planned surgical approach and corrections of surgical complications during the procedure of vascular anastomoses. The relevant intra-operative anatomy and the spectrum of normal and abnormal findings are described. Ultrasonography and color Doppler also provides the clinicians and surgeons early post-operative potential developmental complications that may occur during hospital stay. Early detection and thus early problem solving can make the difference between graft survival and failure.
authors.affiliation: Omar Abdelaziz, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Cairo University Hospitals, Cairo 11965, Egypt.
authors.forename: Omar
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Abdelaziz
authors.affiliation: Omar Abdelaziz, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Cairo University Hospitals, Cairo 11965, Egypt.
authors.forename: Hussein
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Attia
mesh_terms: D006439:Hemodynamics; D006499:Hepatic Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006503:Hepatic Veins / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D007431:Intraoperative Complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D016031:Liver Transplantation; D019520:Living Donors; D011169:Portal Vein / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D019737:Transplants / Q000098:blood supply / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D018608:Ultrasonography, Doppler; D018615:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color; D014652:Vascular Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*
keywords: Complications; Doppler; Intraoperative; Liver transplantation; Living donor; Postoperative; Ultrasound; Vascular