How to do liver transplantation using liver allografts with damaged supra-hepatic inferior vena cava.

Abstract

During deceased donor procurement, the heart procurement team may cut the supra-hepatic inferior vena cava (IVC) too close to the liver surface, depriving the liver allograft from having enough supra-hepatic IVC to perform the anastomosis with the recipient's IVC or hepatic veins. In such instances, liver grafts usually are deemed as non-appropriate for transplantation, being discarded. Here we report a technique for reconstruction of damaged supra-hepatic IVCs through the use of a segment of the infra-hepatic IVC of the liver graft.