Intrahepatic cholestasis after liver transplantation

Abstract

Cholestasis is a common sequela of liver transplantation. Although the majority of cases remain subclinical, severe cholestasis may be associated with irreversible liver damage, requiring retransplantation. Therefore, it is essential that clinicians be able to identify and treat the syndromes associated with cholestasis. In this review, we consider causes of intrahepatic cholestasis. These may be categorized by time of occurrence, namely, within 6 months of liver transplantation (early) and thereafter (late), although there may be an overlap in their causes. The causes of intrahepatic cholestasis include ischemia/reperfusion injury, bacterial infection, acute cellular rejection, cytomegalovirus infection, small-for-size graft, drugs for hepatotoxicity, intrahepatic biliary strictures, chronic rejection, hepatic artery thrombosis, ABO blood group incompatibility, and recurrent disease. The mechanisms of cholestasis in each category and the clinical presentation, diagnosis, treatment, and outcome are discussed in detail. (Liver Transpl 2003;9:1005-1018.)