Orthotopic liver transplantation of liver grafts previously resected in situ

Abstract

As a possible solution for the pediatric donor problem some authors have begun to experiment with the transplantation of partially resected donor livers (ROLT). Some clinical cases have been reported. The purpose of this study was to evaluate, in the animal model, a new technique for performing a ROLT by a liver graft previously reduced in size by in situ resection preceding the harvesting procedure. To study the impact of this technique, we compared its results with those obtained in animals undergoing standard orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). Our data demonstrated that a resected liver with the functional volume proportional to the recipient can successfully meet the biochemical needs of its new host. Given that there is less difficulty in finding adult organs, the possibility exists that adult donor livers could be used to increase the donor pool for pediatric patients