Spleen volume and platelet number changes after living donor liver transplantation in adults.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The purpose of the present study was to examine the changes of spleen volume and platelet numbers after living donor liver transplantation in adults.

METHODOLOGY: The spleen volume was measured by computed tomography preoperatively and 1, 6, and 12 months in 19 patients after liver transplantation. The platelet numbers were followed on the same time schedule.

RESULTS

The preoperative average spleen volume was 451+/-276 mL, which decreased gradually after liver transplantation. The preoperative averaged platelet number was 15.4+/-9.0x10(4)/mL, which did not change significantly during the observation period.

CONCLUSIONS

The changes in spleen volume in the present study were consistent with the previous data, suggesting that living donor liver transplantation effectively reduced hypersplenism for adult patients.