Safety of anti-hepatitis B core antibody-positive donors for living-donor liver transplantation

• Published in: Transplantation Vol. 75; no. 3; pp. 45 - 48
• Main Authors: SHIN HWANG, MOON, Deok-Bog, OH, Ki-Bong, HA, Tae-Yong, MINI, Pyung-Chul, LEE, Sung-Gyu, PARK, Kwang-Min, KIM, Ki-Hun, AHN, Chul-Soo, LEE, Young-Joo, CHU, Chong-Woo, YANG, Hyun-Seong, CHO, Sung-Hun
• Format: Conference Proceeding Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hagerstown, MD Lippincott 15-02-2003
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Biological and medical sciences; Combined surgery. Multiple transplantations; Hepatectomy - methods; Hepatitis B Antibodies - analysis; Hepatitis B Core Antigens - immunology; Humans; Liver Transplantation - adverse effects; Liver Transplantation - immunology; Liver Transplantation - methods; Living Donors; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Risk Assessment; Safety; Surgery (general aspects). Transplantations, organ and tissue grafts. Graft diseases; Human; Antibody; Living donor; Liver; Hepatic disease; Transplantation; Homotransplantation; Infection; Viral hepatitis B; Treatment; Surgery; Viral disease; Risk factor; Digestive diseases; Safety
• ISSN: 0041-1337; 1534-6080
• DOI: 10.1097/01.tp.0000047030.38665.0d

Serologic evidence of resolved hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection (HBV surface antigen negative, anti-HBV core antibody [HBc] positive) in a liver donor can be regarded as an occult infection with episomal HBV in the liver. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety of anti-HBc-positive living donors. Between March 2001 and January 2002, 127 donors underwent hepatectomy for living-donor liver transplantation at Asan Medical Center. They were classified as members of an anti-HBc-positive group (n=50) or an anti-HBc-negative group (n=77). The two groups were subdivided into right lobectomy (n=86) and left lobectomy (n=34) groups to compare operative risk. Perioperative clinical profiles were compared by anti-HBc status and extent of donor hepatectomy. There were no statistical differences of preoperative liver function and liver steatosis between the anti-HBc-positive and anti-HBc-negative groups. Operation time and blood loss did not show any differences between the hepatectomy-matched anti-HBc-positive and anti-HBc-negative groups. Postoperative recovery of liver function, incidence of complication, and regeneration rate of the remnant liver after right lobectomy also did not show significant differences. The anti-HBc-positive group did not exhibit any adverse preoperative, intraoperative, or postoperative outcomes compared with the anti-HBc-negative group. This indicates that anti-HBc-positive donors can be assessed to have the same degree of risk for donor operation as anti-HBc-negative donors.