Living donor liver transplantation using sensitized lymphocytotoxic crossmatch positive graft

We describe a successful living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) using a lymphocytotoxic crossmatch highly positive graft. A 41-year-old woman with alcoholic liver cirrhosis was referred as a potential candidate for LDLT, and her husband was willing to donate his partial liver. As the T-lymphocytotoxic crossmatch titer was over 10,000×, the patient was first infused with rituximab for preoperative desensitization, and then five rounds of plasmapheresis were performed. After the third plasmapheresis, the lymphocytotoxic crossmatch test was negative. A left liver graft including the caudate lobe was implanted, and anti-CD25 antibody (basiliximab) was administered on postoperative days 1 and 4. The postoperative course was uneventful except for an episode of mild acute cellular rejection on postoperative day 27. Although the impact of a lymphocytotoxic crossmatch-positive liver graft on acute cellular rejection and graft survival in LDLT remains controversial, perioperative desensitization may provide benefits when using a highly sensitized liver graft

Clinical Outcomes after Liver Transplantation for Hepatorenal Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Aims. Hepatorenal syndrome (HRS) decreases survival of cirrhotic patients. The outcomes of HRS after liver transplantation (LT) were inconsistently reported. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis study to estimate the post-LT rates of death and HRS reversal. Methods. A thorough search of literatures was performed on PubMed, Scopus, and conference abstracts for reports on post-LT survival and HRS reversal. Data for the posttransplant rates of HRS reversal, death, and acute rejection were extracted. The rates were pooled using inverse variance method if there was no heterogeneity between studies. Otherwise, the random effect model was applied. Results. Twenty studies were included. Pooling HRS reversal rates indicated high heterogeneity with a pooled rate of 0.834 (95% CI: 0.709–0.933). The pooled overall death rates for HRS and non-HRS after LT were 0.25 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.18–0.33) and 0.19 (95% CI: 0.14–0.26). The risk ratio of death between HRS and non-HRS patients was 1.29 (95% CI: 1.14–1.47, P<0.001). The probability of death at 1, 3, and 5 years tended to be higher among HRS. Conclusions. HRS is reversible in about 83% of patients after LT. However, the posttransplant mortality rate of HRS patients is still increased

Recurrence of cholestatic liver disease after living donor liver transplantation

End-stage liver disease, due to cholestatic liver diseases with an autoimmune background such as primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), is considered a good indication for liver transplantation. Excellent overall patient and graft outcomes, based mostly on the experience from deceased donor liver transplantation (DDLT), have been reported. Due to the limited number of organ donations from deceased donors in most Asian countries, living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) is the mainstream treatment for end-stage liver disease, including that resulting from PBC and PSC. Although the initial experiences with LDLT for PBC and PSC seem satisfactory or comparable to that with DDLT, some aspects, including the timing of transplantation, the risk of recurrent disease, and its long-term clinical implications, require further evaluation. Whether or not the long-term outcomes of LDLT from a biologically related donor are equivalent to that of DDLT requires further observations. The clinical course following LDLT may be affected by the genetic background shared between the recipient and the living related donor

Narrowing the Patient–Physician Gap Based on Self-Reporting and Monthly Hepatologist Feedback for Patients With Alcohol-Related Liver Disease: Interventional Pilot Study Using a Journaling Smartphone App

BackgroundScreening and intervention for alcohol use disorders (AUDs) are recommended to improve the prognosis of patients with alcohol-related liver disease (ALD). Most patients’ smartphone app diaries record drinking behavior for self-monitoring. A smartphone app can be expected to also be helpful for physicians because it can provide rich patient information to hepatologists, leading to suitable feedback. We conducted this prospective pilot study to assess the use of a smartphone app as a journaling tool and as a self-report–based feedback source for patients with ALD. ObjectiveThe aims of this study were assessment of whether journaling (self-report) and self-report–based feedback can help patients maintain abstinence and improve liver function data. MethodsThis pilot study used a newly developed smartphone journaling app for patients, with input data that physicians can review. After patients with ALD were screened for harmful alcohol use, some were invited to use the smartphone journaling app for 8 weeks. Their self-reported alcohol intake, symptoms, and laboratory data were recorded at entry, week 4, and week 8. Biomarkers for alcohol use included gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT), percentage of carbohydrate-deficient transferrin to transferrin (%CDT), and GGT-CDT (GGT-CDT= 0.8 × ln[GGT] + 1.3 × ln[%CDT]). At each visit, their recorded data were reviewed by a hepatologist to evaluate changes in alcohol consumption and laboratory data. The relation between those outcomes and app usage was also investigated. ResultsOf 14 patients agreeing to participate, 10 completed an 8-week follow-up, with diary input rates between 44% and 100% of the expected days. Of the 14 patients, 2 withdrew from clinical follow-up, and 2 additional patients never used the smartphone journaling app. Using the physician’s view, a treating hepatologist gave feedback via comments to patients at each visit. Mean self-reported alcohol consumption dropped from baseline (100, SD 70 g) to week 4 (13, SD 25 g; P=.002) and remained lower at week 8 (13, SD 23 g; P=.007). During the study, 5 patients reported complete abstinence. No significant changes were found in mean GGT and mean %CDT alone, but the mean GGT-CDT combination dropped significantly from entry (5.2, SD 1.2) to the week 4 visit (4.8, SD 1.1; P=.02) and at week 8 (4.8, SD 1.0; P=.01). During the study period, decreases in mean total bilirubin (3.0, SD 2.4 mg/dL to 2.4, SD 1.9 mg/dL; P=.01) and increases in mean serum albumin (3.0, SD 0.9 g/dL to 3.3, SD 0.8 g/dL; P=.009) were recorded. ConclusionsThese pilot study findings revealed that a short-term intervention with a smartphone journaling app used by both patients and treatment-administering hepatologists was associated with reduced drinking and improved liver function. Trial RegistrationUMIN CTR UMIN000045285; http://tinyurl.com/yvvk38t

Impact of donor and recipient single nucleotide polymorphisms of IL28B rs8099917 in living donor liver transplantation for hepatitis C.

Single nucleotide polymorphisms of interleukin-28B (IL28B) rs8099917 are reported to be associated with virologic clearance in interferon-and ribavirin -based treatment for hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected patients. We examined virologic response in accordance with IL28B polymorphisms in our living donor liver transplantation series under a preemptive interferon and RBV treatment approach. Adequate DNA samples from both the recipient and donor for the study of single nucleotide polymorphisms of IL28B were available from 96 cases and were the subjects of the present study. Various clinical factors related with virologic response including early virologic response (EVR) and sustained virologic response (SVR) were examined. Totally 51% presented with EVR and 44% achieved SVR. Presence of the major allele (TT) in either the recipient or the donor corresponded to SVR of 53% and 48%. Presence of the minor allele (TG or GG) corresponded to SVR of 26% and 32%. Multivariate analysis revealed that genotype of HCV or EVR, but not IL28B polymorphisms in either the recipient or donor, was an independent factor for achieving SVR. When virologic response to treatment was incorporated into analysis, the impact of IL28B polymorphism on virological clearance remained relative to other factors and was not significantly independent

Competing risks analysis of predictors of delisting owing to tumor progression in liver transplant candidates with hepatocellular carcinoma

Orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) is potentially curative for patients with early stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, tumor progression before OLT remains a problem. Ninety-three patients were listed for transplantation with HCC or diagnosed with HCC following listing between March, 1997 and September, 2001. Modified TNM Stage was I/II in 82 patients and III in 11 patients. Seventy-one patients (76%) were transplanted with a median waiting time of 3.4 months, and 22 (24%) patients were delisted owing to tumor progression (14), noncompliance (5), and death from liver failure (3). Using a cox model competing risks approach, higher baseline alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) >or= 100 ng/mL was the only factor independently associated with a higher hazard rate of delisting owing to tumor progression (p = 0.00003), whereas four separate factors were independently associated with a lower hazard rate of transplantation: more recent listing year (1999-2001, p = 0.010), blood type O (p = 0.013), Stage I HCC (p = 0.029), and serum bilirubin /= 100 ng/mL was the only factor that significantly influenced the probability of delisting owing to tumor progression (p = 0.001). In conclusion, the initial AFP level may be useful along with tumor stage in defining an urgency score for liver transplant candidates with HCC