Liver transplantation

Liver transplantation is the replacement of a diseased liverwith a healthy liver allograft.

History

The first human liver transplant was done in 1963by Dr. Thomas Starzlin Denver, Colorado, United States, and by Sir Roy Calne in Cambridge, Great Britain. Dr. Starzl performed several additional transplants over the next few years before the first short-term success was achieved in 1967. Despite the development of viable surgical techniques, liver transplantation remained experimental through the 1970s, with one year patient survival in the vicinity of 25%. The introduction of cyclosporine by Sir Roy Calne markedly improved patient outcomes, and the 1980ssaw recognition of liver transplantation as a standard clinical treatment for both adult and pediatric patients with appropriate indications. Liver transplantation is now performed at over one hundred centers in the USA, as well as numerous centers in Europe and elsewhere. One year patient survival is 85-90%, and outcomes continue to improve, although liver transplantation remains a formidable procedure with frequent complications. Unfortunately, the supply of liver allografts from non-living donors is far short of the number of potential recipients, a reality that has spurred the development of living donor liver transplantation.

Indications

Liver transplantation is potentially applicable to any acute or chronic condition resulting in irreversible liver dysfunction, provided that the recipient does not have other conditions that will preclude a successful transplant. Metastatic cancer outside liver, HIV and active septic infections are absolute contraindications. Serious heart, pulmonary or other disease may also prevent transplantation. Most liver transplants are performed for chronic liver diseases that lead to irreversible scarring of the liver, or cirrhosis.

Techniques

Before transplatation patient an be treated with MARS-dialysis. It has albumin-circulation which filter bile acids, bilirubin, and other toxins which the diseased liver fails to clear; and normal water-circulation which can be used to help kidneys.

Virtually all liver transplants are done in an orthotopic fashion, that is the native liver is removed and the new liver is placed in the same anatomic location. The transplant operation can be conceptualized as consisting of the hepatectomy (liver removal) phase, the anhepatic (no liver) phase, and the postimplantation phase. The operation is done through a large incision in the upper abdomen. The hepatectomy involves division of all ligamentous attachments to the liver, as well as the common bile duct, hepatic artery, and portal vein. Usually, the retrohepatic portion of the inferior vena cava is removed along with the liver, although an alternative technique preserves the recipient's vena cava ("piggyback" technique). After the hepatectomy is accomplished, the allograft liver is implanted. This involves anastomoses (connections) of the inferior vena cava, portal vein, and hepatic artery. After blood flow is restored to the new liver, the biliary (bile duct) anastomosis is constructed, either to the recipient's own bile duct or to the small intestine. The surgery usually takes between five and six hours, but may be longer or shorter due to the difficulty of the operation and the experience of the surgeon.

The large majority of liver transplants use the entire liver from a non-living donor for the transplant, particularly for adult recipients. A major advance in pediatric liver transplantation was the development of reduced size liver transplantation, in which a portion of an adult liver is used for an infant or small child. Further developments in this area included split liver transplantation, in which one liver is used for transplants for two recipients, and living donor liver transplantation, in which a portion of healthy person's liver is removed and used as the allograft. Living donor liver transplantation for pediatric recipients involves removal of approximately 20% of the liver (Couinaud segments 2 and 3).

Immunosuppressive management

Like all other allografts, a liver transplant will be rejectedby the recipient unless immunosuppressivedrugs are used. The immunosuppressive regimens for all solid organ transplants are fairly similar, and a variety of agents are now available. Most liver transplant recipients receive corticosteroidsplus either tacrolimusor cyclosporine. Acute rejection is generally less of a problem in liver transplantation than is the case for heart or kidney transplantation.

Liver transplantation is unique in that the risk of chronic rejection also decreases over time. Certain patients, on the long run, manage to be weaned off all immunosupressive medication. The exact reason for this is still unclear. It is theorized that the liver may play an yet-unknown role in the maturation of certain cells pertaining to the immune system. There is at least one study by Dr. Starzl's team at the University of Pittsburghwhich consisted of bone marrowbiopsiestaken from such patients which demonstrate genotypic chimerismin the bone marrow of liver transplant recipients.

Results

Prognosis is quite good. 1-year survival (in Finland) is 83%, 5-year survival is 76% and 10-year survival is 66%. Majority of deaths happen during the first three months after transplantation.

References

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This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
It uses material from the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liver+transplantation Wikipedia article Liver transplantation.