Living-Donor Liver Transplantation: Experience at Shinshu University

Summary

We have performed 143 living-donor liver transplantations (LDLTs) on 143 patients (83 pediatric and 60 adult patients). The type of donor hepatectomy in pediatric cases was left lateral segmentectomy in 50 cases, extended lateral segmentectomy in 20 cases, and left lobectomy in 13 cases, while in adult cases we carried out left lobectomy in 58 cases (combined left-side caudate lobectomy in 8 cases), right posterior segmentectomy in 1 case, and right lobectomy in 1 case (a patient with familial amyloidosis in a domino transplantation). In 2 of the 58 cases using a left lobar graft, temporary auxiliary transplantation was performed since the donor’s left lobe was disproportionately small. No banked blood was transfused in any living-related donor. The postoperative course of all living-related donors was uneventful, without any major complications or reoperation. The survival rates after 1 and 5 years in these 143 patients were 87% and 84%, respectively. The results were comparable between pediatric and adult patients, although the implanted graft was significantly small-for-size in adult cases.