Right hepatic arterial girdle around the common hepatic duct in liver donors: technical considerations for successful living donor liver transplantation

Abstract

Purpose

Variations in hepatic arterial anatomy can result in multiple arterial trunks in the graft liver. We describe our experience in dealing with five right lobe liver donors where in the right hepatic artery (RHA) branches were passing anterior and posterior to the common hepatic duct (CHD) forming an arterial girdle around it.

Methods

Five of 771 right lobe living donor liver transplants (January 2012 and March 2020) demonstrated the RHA girdle around the CHD. Three patients had the typical girdle resulting in two graft arteries which were reconstructed using arterial Y grafts. Arterial girdle was formed by the right anterior hepatic artery branches in one patient resulting in 3 graft arteries of which two were reconstructed using a Y graft. One donor had the arterial girdle and an accessory artery from SMA giving rise to 3 graft arteries. Two of them were ligated (brisk back bleed), and one was reconstructed.

Results

All donors (median follow-up 17 months, range 6–60 months) had an uneventful postoperative recovery. No vascular or biliary complications were encountered in the recipients. One recipient died due to sepsis and multiorgan failure, while the other 4 recipients recovered uneventfully and continue to have stable graft function.

Conclusion

Adhering to safe surgical principles during RHA mobilization, ligation of minor arterial branches, and precise reconstruction of multiple major branches can ensure successful outcomes in the donor and recipient in this scenario.