ABO-incompatible Living Donor Liver Transplantation Research Articles

P.483: Outcomes of emergent pediatric ABO-incompatible living donor liver transplantation in Korea.

P.483: Outcomes of emergent pediatric ABO-incompatible living donor liver transplantation in Korea.

P.363: Impact of the high baseline anti-A/B antibody titer on the clinical outcomes in ABO-incompatible living donor liver transplantation.

P.363: Impact of the high baseline anti-A/B antibody titer on the clinical outcomes in ABO-incompatible living donor liver transplantation.

Impact of Baseline Anti-ABO Antibody Titer on Biliary Complications in ABO-Incompatible Living-Donor Liver Transplantation.

Background: Although advancements in desensitization protocols have led to increased ABO-incompatible (ABOi) living-donor liver transplantation (LDLT), a higher biliary complication rate remains a problem. This study evaluated the effect of baseline anti-ABO antibody titers before desensitization on biliary complications after ABOi LDLT. Methods: The study cohort comprised 116 patients in the ABO-compatible group (ABOc), 29 in the ABOi with the low titer (<1:128) group (ABOi-L), and 14 in the high titer (≥1:128) group (ABOi-H). Results: Biliary complications occurred more frequently in the ABOi-H group than in the ABOi-L and ABOc groups (7 [50.0%] vs. 8 [27.6%] and 24 [20.7%], respectively, p = 0.041). Biliary complication-free survival was significantly worse in the ABOi-H group than in the other groups (p = 0.043). Diffuse intrahepatic biliary strictures occurred more frequently in the ABOi-H group than in the other groups (p = 0.005). Multivariable analysis revealed that the high anti-ABO antibody titer (≥1:128) is an independent risk factor for biliary complications (hazard ratio 3.943 [1.635-9.506]; p = 0.002). Conclusions: A high baseline anti-ABO antibody titer (≥1:128), female sex, and hepatic artery complications are significant risk factors for biliary complications.

Outcomes of emergency pediatric ABO-incompatible living donor liver transplantation in Korea

Outcomes of emergency pediatric ABO-incompatible living donor liver transplantation in Korea

Improved outcomes of ABO-incompatible living donor liver transplant with biologically related donors.

Liver transplantation is considered to be the only curative treatment for decompensated liver disease. Shortage of liver allografts is a major impediment to the widespread application of this procedure. ABO-incompatible (ABO-I) grafts have been used successfully, thereby increasing the living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) donor pool. However, ABO-I liver transplantation is associated with complications like acute liver rejection, hepatic artery thrombosis, and higher biliary stricture rates, leading to transplant failure, retransplantations, or sepsis-related complications. Various desensitization strategies have been adopted to improve outcomes. Biologically related donor-recipient pairs have the theoretical advantage of favorable HLA (human leukocyte antigen) match. We have analyzed the outcomes of ABO-I LDLT and compared the results of HLA-matched (biologically related) and HLA-unmatched (biologically unrelated) donor-recipient pairs. Retrospective data of 90 cases of ABO-I liver transplant recipients: HLA-matched (n = 35) and HLA-unmatched (n = 55) for comparison of preoperative and postoperative data. Peak bilirubin levels in HLA-unmatched recipients were higher. Platelet count was lower than HLA-matched recipients (7.3 vs. 8.9mg/dL). No significant difference in days-to-normal bilirubin, peak International Normalised Ratio, hospital stay, and discharge-day from transplant between both groups. Postoperatively, HLA-unmatched recipients required more pulse-steroids therapy than HLA-matched: 21/55 (38.2%) versus 11/35 (31.4%). Biliary complications and interventions were more prevalent in the HLA-unmatched group (12/55, 21.8%) than in the HLA-matched group (4/35, 11.4%). Renal complications requiring postoperative hemodialysis were more prevalent in the HLA-unmatched group than the HLA-matched group (9/55 [16.4%] vs. 3/35 [8.6%]). The incidence of vascular complications was similar. ABO-I LDLT is an effective and safe method for increasing the donor pool in the absence of an ABO-compatible liver donor. Long-term outcomes of recipients with biologically related donors are marginally better than biologically unrelated ABO-I LDLT recipients. However, the incidence of antibody-mediated graft rejection and biliary complications is higher in biologically unrelated ABO-I liver recipients.

Recipient blood group does not affect hepatocellular carcinoma recurrence after living donor liver transplantation in Korea.

This study assessed whether or not the ABO blood type affects the incidence of HCC recurrence after living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). This retrospective observational study included 856 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who underwent LDLT between January 2006 and December 2016 at the Asan Medical Center. This study included 324 patients (37.9%) with blood type A, 215 (25.1%) with blood type B, 210 (24.5%) with blood type O, and 107 (12.5%) with blood type AB. ABO-incompatible LT was performed in 136 (15.9%) patients. The independent risk factors for the disease-free survival (DFS) were maximal tumor diameter, microvascular invasion, and Milan criteria. The only independent risk factor for the overall survival (OS) was microvascular invasion. The ABO blood group did not affect the DFS (P = 0.978) or OS (P = 0.261). The DFS according to the ABO blood group did not differ significantly between the ABO-compatible (p = 0.701) and ABO-incompatible LDLT recipients (p = 0.147). The DFS according to the ABO blood group did not differ significantly between patients within the Milan criteria (p = 0.934) and beyond the Milan criteria (p = 0.525). The DFS did not differ significantly between recipients with and without type A blood (p = 0.941). This study demonstrated that the ABO blood group system had no prognostic impact on the oncological outcomes of patients undergoing LT for HCC.

Successful ABO-Incompatible Living Donor Liver Transplantation in a Patient with an Anaphylactic Reaction to Fresh Frozen Plasma During Therapeutic Plasma Exchange: A Case Report

BackgroundABO-incompatible living donor liver transplantation (ABOi LDLT) is a complex procedure involving the reduction of anti-A and anti-B antibodies by therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) to prevent acute antibody-mediated rejection. Fresh frozen plasma (FFP) is often used as replacement fluid during TPE. Case DescriptionWe report an ABOi LDLT case in which the patient experienced an anaphylactic reaction to FFP during TPE. Additional TPE was performed using 5% albumin as replacement fluid. ABOi LDLT was successfully performed by adapting the transfusion strategy to avoid FFP and cryoprecipitate and to administer washed platelets. ConclusionThis case highlights the importance of careful preoperative assessment, multidisciplinary coordination, and individualized approaches in ABOi LDLT, especially when the patient has an anaphylactic reaction to FFP.

High Number of Plasma Exchanges Increases the Risk of Bacterial Infection in ABO-incompatible Living Donor Liver Transplantation.

Bacterial infections are major complications that cause significant mortality and morbidity in living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). The risk of bacterial infection has not been studied in ABO-incompatible (ABOi) recipients with a desensitization protocol in relation to the number of plasma exchanges (PEs). Therefore, we aimed to analyze the risk of bacterial infection in ABOi LDLT recipients with a high number of PEs compared with recipients with a low number of PEs. A retrospective study was performed with 681 adult LDLT recipients, of whom 171 ABOi LDLT recipients were categorized into the high (n = 52) or low (n = 119) PE groups based on a cutoff value of 6 PE sessions. We compared bacterial infections and postoperative bacteremia within 6 mo after liver transplantation with the ABO-compatible (ABOc) LDLT group (n = 510) as a control group. The high PE group showed a bacterial infection rate of 49.9% and a postoperative bacteremia rate of 28.8%, which were significantly higher than those of the low PE group (31.1%, 17.8%) and the ABOc group (26.7%, 18.0%). In multivariate analysis, the high PE group was found to have a 2.4-fold higher risk of bacterial infection ( P = 0.008). This group presented a lower 5-y survival rate of 58.6% compared with the other 2 groups (81.5% and 78.5%; P = 0.030 and 0.001). A high number of preoperative PEs increases bacterial infection rate and postoperative bacteremia in ABOi LDLT.

An ABO-incompatible living donor liver transplant in an infant with acute liver failure in the Sri Lankan setting

Liver transplant (LT) is the standard therapy for medically refractory acute liver failure (ALF). Finding a deceaseddonor graft in an emergency is challenging and often overcome by living-donation. Blood group matching is practised for LT though ABO-incompatible liver transplant (ABOi-LT) is performed inselected circumstances. We report an infant who underwent successful ABOincompatible living donor LT for ALF of unknown aetiology. This being the country’s first ABOi-LT, the youngest LT recipient to date and the youngest receiving emergency LT for ALF; we describe the novel experience at a resource-limited setting in Sri Lanka (SL).

Intention-to-treat analysis for survival benefit of ABO-incompatible living-donor liver transplantation in patients with a high Model for End-stage Liver Disease score

Intention-to-treat analysis for survival benefit of ABO-incompatible living-donor liver transplantation in patients with a high Model for End-stage Liver Disease score

P5.1: Impact of the high baseline anti-A/B antibody titer on the clinical outcomes in ABO-incompatible living donor liver transplantation.

P5.1: Impact of the high baseline anti-A/B antibody titer on the clinical outcomes in ABO-incompatible living donor liver transplantation.

Factors associated with rituximab-mediated B cell depletion in ABO-incompatible adult living donor liver transplantation.

Pretransplant therapies such as rituximab and plasmapheresis have led to an increase in ABO-incompatible (ABOi) living donor liver transplantation (LDLT), thus helping to overcome organ shortages. This study evaluated the changes in anti-A/B titers and CD19 levels over time in patients undergoing ABOi LT and aimed to understand the effect of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in Fc gamma receptor (FcγR) on rituximab therapy. Two SNPs of FCGR2A (131H/R) and FCGR3A (158F/V) were identified. The clinical data on 44 patients who underwent ABOi LDLT between May 2019 and October 2021 at Seoul National University Hospital were reviewed retrospectively. Following desensitization with rituximab and subsequent LDLT, the anti-A/B titer recovered within 1 week, but decreased thereafter. The CD19 level increased at 3 months after LT. The genotyping data for FCGR3A (158F/V) indicated that two patients had the V/V genotype, and 42 had the F/V genotype. In the genotyping data for FCGR2A (131H/R), 21 patients had the H/H genotype, three had the R/R genotype, and 20 had the H/R genotype. However, there were no significant differences in anti-A/B and CD19 levels, bacteremia rates, T cell-mediated rejection, antibody-mediated rejection, or the survival rate among the FCGR2A types. There were significant changes in the anti-A/B titers and CD19 levels over time in each patient after ABOi LDLT. The difference in outcomes following LT according to the FcγR SNP type for rituximab was unclear. Further studies with larger sample sizes are needed to confirm the effect of FcγR SNPs on rituximab therapy.

Early Postoperative Varicella-Zoster Virus Encephalitis After Adult ABO-Incompatible Living Donor Liver Transplantation: A Case Report

There have never been any reports of adult varicella-zoster virus (VZV) encephalitis cases. Here, we report a case of VZV encephalitis after adult ABO-incompatible living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). A 38-year-old man with decompensated liver cirrhosis caused by the hepatitis C virus was referred to our hospital as an LDLT candidate. Rituximab was administered 3 weeks before the operation, and immunosuppression agents were administered 1 week before the LDLT. Plasma exchange was performed 3 times before the LDLT. The right lobe from his mother's liver was used for the ABO-incompatible LDLT. On postoperative day (POD) 9, vascular stenting for intraabdominal bleeding from the common hepatic artery was performed by interventional radiology and was followed by re-laparotomy for abdominal drainage of the hematoma. However, there were various degrees of continued bleeding thereafter. On POD 12, due to a convulsion seizure with loss of consciousness, the patient was started on anticonvulsant therapy. On POD 15, there was an increased frequency of convulsion attacks and a prolonged loss of consciousness. A lumbar puncture was performed on POD 20 due to the appearance of shingles. The positive polymerase chain reaction of the VZV-DNA from the cerebrospinal fluid was detected, and he was diagnosed with VZV encephalitis. He rapidly regained alertness, and there were no further observed convulsion attacks after administration of a steroid pulse and acyclovir. Brain magnetic resonance imaging performed on 2 subsequent postoperative months showed findings that matched with VZV encephalitis. He was discharged as he had recovered and was ambulatory 3 months after LDLT.

Initial high anti-ABO titer is a major red flag of bacterial infection in ABO-incompatible living donor liver transplantation

Initial high anti-ABO titer is a major red flag of bacterial infection in ABO-incompatible living donor liver transplantation

Impact of baseline anti-ABO antibody titer on biliary complications following ABO-incompatible living donor liver transplantation

Impact of baseline anti-ABO antibody titer on biliary complications following ABO-incompatible living donor liver transplantation

Long-term outcomes following ABO-incompatible living donor liver transplantation for acute liver failure: a single-center experience of over 20years.

Acute liver failure is a life-threatening condition for which ABO-incompatible living donor liver transplantation (ABOi-LDLT) is sometimes the only life-saving treatment option. We reviewed a single-center experience of adult ABOi-LDLT treatment for acute liver failure (ALF). Preoperative treatment, immune indices (B cell marker, anti-donor blood-type antibody), and postoperative outcomes were compared between ALF and non-ALF groups. There were 5 and 33 patients in the ALF and non-ALF groups, respectively. The ALF group received higher doses of steroids, underwent more rounds of plasma exchange (PE), and underwent transplantation for ALF with a shorter interval following preoperative rituximab (RTx) administration (median: 2 vs 13days; P < 0.05) than the non-ALF group. Preoperatively, CD19-positive lymphocytes in the peripheral blood were sufficiently depleted in all of the non-ALF group patients, whereas they were poorly depleted in the ALF group. Postoperatively, neither group suffered anti-donor blood-type antibody titer rebound or antibody-mediated rejection. The ALF group had a comparable 5-year survival rate to the non-ALF group (80.0% vs 77.9%). Despite the delayed preoperative administration of RTx, the ALF group showed an uneventful immunological response and acceptable long-term survival rate. Thus, ABOi-LDLT seems a viable treatment option for ALF.

Improved recurrence-free survival in patients with HCC with post-transplant plasma exchange.

Total plasma exchange (TPE) can play a role in cancer treatment by eliminating immune checkpoint inhibitors. This study investigated whether TPE improved oncological outcomes in patients with HCC who underwent ABO-incompatible living donor liver transplantation (LT). The study included 152 patients who underwent ABO-incompatible living donor LT for HCC between 2010 and 2021 at Samsung Medical Center. Overall survival was analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier curve, whereas HCC-specific recurrence-free survival (RFS) was analyzed using the cumulative incidence curve after propensity score matching. Cox regression and competing risks subdistribution hazard models were used to identify the risk factors associated with overall survival and HCC-specific RFS, respectively. The propensity score matching resulted in 54 matched pairs, grouped according to whether they underwent postoperative TPE [post-transplant TPE(+)] or not [post-transplant TPE(-)]. The 5-year HCC-specific RFS cumulative incidence was superior in the post-transplant TPE (+) group [12.5% (95% CI: 3.1%-21.9%)] compared with the post-transplant TPE(-) group [38.1% (95% CI: 24.4%-51.8%), p = 0.005]. In subgroup analysis for patients with microvascular invasion and those beyond the Milan criteria, the post-transplant TPE(+) group showed significantly superior HCC-specific survival. The multivariable analysis also showed that postoperative TPE had a protective effect on HCC-specific RFS (HR = 0.26, 95% CI: 0.10-0.64, p = 0.004) and that the more post-transplant TPE was performed, the better RFS was observed (HR = 0.71, 95% CI: 0.55-0.93, p = 0.012). Post-transplant TPE was found to improve RFS after ABO-incompatible living donor LT for HCC, particularly in advanced cases with microvascular invasion and beyond Milan criteria. These findings suggest that TPE may have a potential role in improving oncological outcomes in patients with HCC undergoing LT.

Single-dose eculizumab as part of a modified desensitization protocol for ABO-incompatible living donor liver transplantation.

Spaggiari, Mario1; Petrochenkov, Egor1; Bencini, Giulia1; Gaitonde, Sujata2; Benken, Jamie2; Guzman, Grace2; Berkes, Jamie2; Tzvetanov, Ivo1; Benedetti, Enrico1 Author Information

Initial high anti-ABO isoagglutinin titer is a major red flag of bacterial infection in ABO-incompatible living donor liver transplantation

Initial high anti-ABO isoagglutinin titer is a major red flag of bacterial infection in ABO-incompatible living donor liver transplantation

Impact of baseline anti-ABO antibody titer on biliary complications following ABO-incompatible living donor liver transplantation

Impact of baseline anti-ABO antibody titer on biliary complications following ABO-incompatible living donor liver transplantation