Orthotopic liver transplantation in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease patients.

Abstract

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a frequent etiology of liver disease in Western Countries and non-alcoholic steato-hepatitis (NASH) is becoming a leading indication for liver transplantation in US, with constant increase overtime. Specific co-morbidities correlated to the presence of obesity and associated with metabolic syndrome should always be ruled out in patients affected by NASH-related end-stage liver disease, who are potential candidates for liver transplantation. Patients transplanted for NAFLD present similar outcomes compared with patients transplanted for other indications. With regards to post-transplant outcomes in obese patients, available data are contradictory, with reported increased mortality only in patients with BMI >40. A new multidisciplinary protocol of liver transplantation and sleeve gastrectomy seems to be effective and safe in obese patients who were not able to lose weight before liver transplantation. However prospective studies are needed. The NASH recurrence rate after liver transplantation ranges between 20-40%, but its variability largely depends on the methodology used for the diagnosis (i.e. liver tests, liver histology or imaging technique).