Feasibility of Dual Living Donor Liver Transplantation From Donors With Complex Portal Vein Variations

Transplant Proc. 2020 Jul-Aug;52(6):1791-1793. doi: 10.1016/j.transproceed.2020.02.142. Epub 2020 Jun 20.

Abstract

Living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) from donors with complex portal vein anomalies has been considered a challenging procedure because vasculobiliary variations of the donor's liver may lead to significant increases in donor and recipient complications. The use of donors with anatomic variations may be considered under the accurate preoperative planning if a more suitable donor is not available. We report a successful dual LDLT for 2 donors with portal vein anomaly to overcome the small-for-size graft syndrome and secure donor safety. A 62-year-old man was referred to our institution for liver transplant because of hepatitis B-related liver cirrhosis with hepatocellular carcinoma. The only available donors were his son and his daughter-in-law, one with type IV portal venous anatomic variation and the other with type III variation. Neither of the 2 available donors were suitable as a single donor because of the complexity of the portal vein reconstruction and the donor's safety. Therefore, the decision was made to perform LDLT using dual graft, and we planned to harvest the right posterior sector graph from the first donor together with the left lobe graft of the second donor. Donor hepatectomy and recipient total hepatectomy were performed in the usual manner. He has recovered well with normal graft function, and there has been no tumor recurrence after dual LDLT. Dual graft LDLT using right posterior sector and left lobe graft could be undertaken successfully to overcome the small-for-size graft syndrome and secure the safety of donors in cases with the complex portal vein anomalies.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / surgery
  • Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / virology
  • Feasibility Studies
  • Female
  • Hepatectomy / methods*
  • Hepatitis B / complications
  • Humans
  • Liver / pathology
  • Liver Cirrhosis / surgery
  • Liver Cirrhosis / virology
  • Liver Neoplasms / surgery
  • Liver Neoplasms / virology
  • Liver Transplantation / methods*
  • Living Donors*
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Portal Vein / abnormalities*
  • Portal Vein / surgery
  • Tissue and Organ Harvesting / methods*
  • Vascular Surgical Procedures / methods*