A clinical report of split liver transplantation in pediatric recipients

Abstract

Objective To summarize the clinical experience in pediatric split liver transplantation (SLT) recipients. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on 38 cases of pediatric recipients using split donors during February 2007 to December 2015.The ex situ splitting technique was used for 22 grafts and in situ splitting technique was used for the rest 16 grafts.The survival rate of patients, recovery of liver function, re-transplantation rate, incidence of vascular complications and biliary complications were Observed, and the causes of death were analyzed. Results The median follow-up time of all the patients was 30.65 months (0.1-96.6 months). The 1- and 3-year cumulative survival rate was 81.6% and 76.3% respectively.The re-transplantation rate was 13.16%, the incidence of vessel complications was 31.58%, and biliary complication rate was 31.58%.There were 9 deaths, including 5 deaths which were related to surgical complications. Conclusion SLT can expand the resource of 1iver donors for pediatric recipients.Comparing to ex situ split liver grafts, in situ split liver grafts can reduce morbidity and mortality of children after liver transplantation. Key words: Liver donor; Split; Pediatric; Liver transplantation