Impact of hepatic artery size mismatch between donor and recipient on outcomes after living-donor liver transplantation using the right lobe.

INTRODUCTION

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of hepatic artery (HA) size mismatch anastomosis on outcomes after living-donor liver transplantation (LDLT).

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

After excluding 128 patients with the exclusion criteria among 233 LDLTs using the right lobe, 104 LDLT patients were divided into two groups: donor HA diameter that was greater than or equal to the recipient HA diameter (D ≥ R group; n = 79), and donor HA diameter that was smaller than the recipient HA diameter (D < R group; n = 25).

RESULTS

Hepatic artery-related complications occurred in only one patient (HA thrombosis; 1.0%) who was in the D < R group. The reconstructed HA flow in the D ≥ R group was significantly greater than that in the D < R group (P = 0.015). There was a higher incidence of anastomotic biliary stricture in the D < R group (32.0%) compared with the D ≥ R group (13.9%, P = 0.022) after LDLT. A multivariate analysis with Cox regression revealed that the HA anastomosis of the D < R group and hepaticojejunostomy were significant independent risk factors for postoperative anastomotic biliary stenosis.

CONCLUSIONS

Hepatic artery anastomosis with a donor HA diameter smaller than that of the recipient HA might be an independent risk factor for postoperative biliary stenosis after LDLT using the right lobe.