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Selection and outcome of the potential live liver donor

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Abstract

Background and aim

A thorough donor evaluation in the living donation process is mandatory to ensure a safe outcome in an otherwise healthy individual. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the reasons for not proceeding to donation and the outcome of live liver donors.

Methods

A prospective study of potential donors who underwent evaluation and proceeded to surgery from 1 April 2012 to 31 January 2015 was conducted. The process of donor selection, its outcome and peri-operative complications were recorded.

Results

A total of 460 donors were evaluated in a stepwise manner for 367 potential recipients. Of the 321 (69.7 %) donors not proceeding to donation, the reasons were donor-related in 63.6 % and recipient-related in the rest. Common donor-related reasons were: donor reluctance (23.5 %), negative liver attenuation index (16.2 %), anatomic variations (10.3 %), inadequate remnant liver volume (9.8 %), unacceptable liver biopsy (8.8 %), and inadequate graft volume (5.4 %). A majority of donors (82.8 %) were turned down early in the (steps 1 and 2) evaluation process. Recipient death was the most common recipient-related reason [n = 51 (43.6 %)] for not proceeding to donation. There was no donor mortality. The overall complication rate was 19.8 % and major complication rate (grade 3 or higher) was 4.4 %.

Conclusions

A stringent stepwise donor evaluation process leads to early recognition of unsuitable donors and a low complication rate.

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Correspondence to Viniyendra Pamecha.

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Conflict of interest

Dr Viniyendra Pamecha, Dr Shyam Sunder Mahansaria, Dr Kishore GS Bharathy, Dr Senthil Kumar, Dr Shridhar Vasantrao Sasturkar, Dr Piyush Kumar Sinha and Dr Shiv Kumar Sarin confirm that they do not have any conflict of interest to disclose and did not receive any funding/ grants for this work.

Ethical approval

The study was conducted in accordance with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments and approved by the Institute’s scientific and ethics committee.

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Pamecha, V., Mahansaria, S.S., Bharathy, K.G.S. et al. Selection and outcome of the potential live liver donor. Hepatol Int 10, 657–664 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12072-016-9715-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12072-016-9715-8

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