Complications in patients surviving over ten years after liver transplantation

Abstract

Objective To analyze the complicationsin patients surviving over ten years after liver transplantation. Methods Total 397 patients underwent liver transplantation from May 2000 to May 2008 at Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Peking University People′s Hospital, among whom 217 patients survived for ≥10years; after 12 cases with incomplete data were excluded, 205 cases were enrolled in the study. The complications of patients after liver transplantation were analyzed. Results The survival rate of patients over 10 years after liver transplantation was 51.6% (205/397). In 205 patients surviving ≥10years after liver transplantation, the incidence of de novo neoplasms was 3.9% (n=8); the prevalence of hyperuricemia,obesity,hyperlipidemia, metabolic syndrome, hypertension, and diabetes was 54.1% (n=111), 52.2% (n=107), 48.3% (n=99), 46.8% (n=96), 42.9% (n=88), and 18.5% (n=38), respectively. The recurrence rate of hepatitis B and the incidence of newly infected hepatitis B were 2.0% (n=4) and 1.0% (n=2), respectively. The incidence of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events, renal insufficiency and biliary complications were 2.0% (n=4), 4.9% (n=10) and 12.2% (n=25), respectively. Fourteen patients dies 10 years after liver transplantation, the causes of death were cancer (n=4), biliary complications (n=4), recurrence of hepatitis B (n=2), cardio-cerebrovascular disease (n=2), renal insufficiency (n=1), and secondary liver transplantation (n=1). Conclusion Liver transplantation may prolong survival of patients with terminal liver diseases. The neoplasms, metabolic diseases, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, hepatitis B recurrence and chronic renal damage would affect the long-term survival of patients after liver transplantation. Key words: Liver transplantation; End stage liver disease; Survival analysis