Growth and Final Height After Liver Transplantation During Childhood

Abstract

To evaluate the effect of end-stage pediatric liver disease and liver transplantation on growth and final height. We evaluated growth at 2 years (n = 101) and 5 years (n = 63) after pediatric liver transplantation (LTx). Twenty-three children reached final height. Height was expressed as a standard deviation score of the target height (zTH score) of each patient. At the first 2 years after LTx, the zTH score was significantly increased from -1.7 to -1.3 SD (P < 0.05). Growth at 2 or 5 years after LTx, expressed as DeltazTH score, was positively correlated with pretransplant growth retardation (P < 0.05). In comparison with patients with noncholestatic primary liver disease, patients with cholestatic primary liver disease were more severely growth retarded before LTx (zTH score -2.0 vs -1.2 SD, P < 0.05) and had better growth in the first 2 years after LTx (DeltazTH score +0.6 vs -0.1 SD, P < 0.05). Twelve of the 23 patients had a final height below -1.3 SD of their target height. Growth retardation is common in children before LTx, particularly in children with an underlying cholestatic disease. After LTx, catch-up growth was partial and was prominent only in cholestatic children who had been severely growth retarded before LTx. After LTx during childhood, approximately 50% of patients reach a final height lower than -1.3 SD of their genetic potential.