Objectives: Liver grafts from hepatitis B surface antigen-negative and anti-core antibody-positive donors are safe for liver transplant. However, the use of hepatitis B surface antigen-positive liver donors in liver transplants is controversial. We assessed the safety and effectiveness of liver transplants using hepatitis B surface antigen-positive liver grafts to patients with diseases related to hepatitis B virus.
Materials and methods: We retrospectively reviewed 23 patients who had a deceased-donor liver transplant using hepatitis B surface antigen-positive liver grafts. All patients had end-stage liver disease secondary to hepatitis B virus infection. Recipients had oral entecavir and intravenous or intramuscular injection of hepatitis B immune globulin for >1 year after the transplant.
Results: Two patients died from severe perioperative pneumonia, and the other 21 patients were followed for 9 to 38 months after transplant. All 21 patients remained hepatitis B surface antigen-positive. A repeat liver transplant was performed in 1 patient at 5 months after the initial transplant because of biliary ischemia. There were 3 patients who died from recurrent liver cancer at 9, 14, and 18 months after transplant. There were 18 patients (78%) who survived and 17 grafts (74%) that survived.
Conclusions: Liver transplant using hepatitis B surface antigen-positive liver grafts is safe for patients with end-stage liver disease secondary to hepatitis B virus infection.