Reuse of Living-Donor Liver Graft in Second Recipient with Long-Term Survival

• Published in: Transplantation proceedings Vol. 50; no. 10; pp. 3984 - 3987
• Main Authors: Hu, X.-G., Kim, I.-G., Wang, H.-J., Kim, B.-W., Hong, S.Y., Kim, Y.B., Shen, X.-Y.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01-12-2018
• Subjects: Adult; Brain Death; Female; Humans; Liver Transplantation - methods; Liver Transplantation - mortality; Living Donors - supply & distribution; Male; Tissue and Organ Procurement - methods; Treatment Outcome
• ISSN: 0041-1345; 1873-2623
• DOI: 10.1016/j.transproceed.2018.03.004

Brain death is a rare situation after living-donor liver transplantation. However, the recipient who suffers from brain death and has functional liver graft is a potential liver donor. We report the 1st case of successful reuse of extended right living-donor liver graft after brain death of the first recipient. The first recipient, who had acute liver failure caused by hepatitis A virus, experienced brain death on the 2nd day after the transplantation. The allograft had a favorable regeneration and functional recovery. On the 7th day, the allograft was procured with a patent hepatic artery, bile duct, portal vein, and reconstructed outflow (right hepatic vein and middle hepatic vein) and successfully implanted into the second recipient. The second recipient has experienced a long-term survival without any complications.
•Reuse of a living-donor liver graft is technically feasible and safe for the second recipient.•Extended right lobe graft with the use of the outflow reconstruction technique could prevent anterior section congestion, maximizing the graft function and promoting liver regeneration.•The early procurement of the allograft within 7 days could prevent severe adhesion around the allograft and keep the allograft pipelines intact.