Hepatic Artery Thrombosis After Liver Transplantation: Five-Year Experience at the State University of Campinas

Background

Hepatic artery thrombosis (HAT) is reported in 4%-15% of orthotopic liver transplants. Risk factors include technical error in the anastomosis, vascular anatomic variation, and high microvascular resistance. The aim of this study was to verify the incidence of HAT, early or late, and possible risk factors.

Methods

This was a retrospective study from January 2007 to December 2012 at the State University of Campinas. Variables analyzed were age, sex, cold and warm ischemia times, underlying disease, presence of hepatocellular carcinoma, Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score, arterial anatomic variation in the graft, cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection, rejection, biliary complications, retransplantation rate, and survival.

Results

The incidence of HAT was 21/263, or 7.9%. Pure average MELD score was 22 ± 7.4. There was vascular anatomic variation in the graft in 14.2% of cases, in the majority (66.6%) a right hepatic artery from the superior mesenteric artery, and 4.76% of patients had CMV infection and acute cellular rejection (1 case each). There were biliary complications in 38% of patients, 13.3% of cases in patients with early HAT, and 100% of patients with late HAT (P = .002). Body mass index in late HAT was higher (P = .01).

Conclusions

Late HAT was related to a significant increase in biliary complications (stenosis), and the survival rate was similar at 5 years.