Impact of graft hepatic vein inferior vena cava reconstruction with graft venoplasty and inferior vena cava cavoplasty in living donor adult liver transplantation using a left lobe graft

BACKGROUND: Hepatic venous reconstruction is critical in living donor adult liver transplantation (LDALT) because outflow obstruction in small for size graft may lead to graft dysfunction or loss. We describe the usefulness of venoplasties of the graft hepatic vein (HV) and graft HV-recipient inferior vena cava (IVC) reconstruction in LDALT using a left lobe graft. METHODS: Sixty patients who underwent LDALT were studied. We divided the patients into following two groups: venoplasty group (n=30) and control group (n=30). For the patients with venoplasty group, venoplasty of the graft and recipient IVC cavoplasty was made to widen the orifice. Comparison examination of a background factors and postoperative bilirubin and the ascites was carried out. RESULTS: The mean graft volume standard liver volume ratio (GV/SLV) did not have the difference at 41.7% of venoplasty group, and 42.1% of control group (p=NS). The diameter of the hepatic vein in control and venoplasty group before and after venoplasty is 26.9+/-5.5, 28.2+/-2.9, and 34.1+/-3.9 mm, respectively. The diameter of the hepatic vein after venoplasty is larger than that of before venoplasty and of control (P<0.05). Mean total bilirubin level on postoperative day (POD) 7 is 13.8+/-9.3 mg/dl in control group and 7.0+/-3.3 mg/dl in venoplasty group (P<0.05). Mean amount of ascites on POD 7 and 14 are 1576+/-1113 and 1397+/-1661 cc in control group, and 736+/-416 and 550+/-385 cc in venoplasty group, respectively (P<0.05). Two-year survival rate is 75.2 % in control group and 86.6 % in venoplasty group (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that in LDALT using left lobe graft, HV-IVC reconstruction with graft venoplasty and IVC cavoplasty is useful not only to prevent outflow block but also to improve graft function.