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Abstract Titrating tacrolimus concentration in liver transplantation recipients remains a challenge in the early post-transplant period. This multicenter retrospective cohort study aimed to develop and validate a machine-learning algorithm to predict tacrolimus concentration. Data from 443 patients undergoing liver transplantation between 2017 and 2020 at an academic hospital in South Korea were collected to train machine-learning models. Long short-term memory (LSTM) and gradient-boosted regression tree (GBRT) models were developed using time-series doses and concentrations of tacrolimus with covariates of age, sex, weight, height, liver enzymes, total bilirubin, international normalized ratio, albumin, serum creatinine, and hematocrit. We conducted performance comparisons with linear regression and populational pharmacokinetic models, followed by external validation using the eICU Collaborative Research Database collected in the United States between 2014 and 2015. In the external validation, the LSTM outperformed the GBRT, linear regression, and populational pharmacokinetic models with median performance error (8.8%, 25.3%, 13.9%, and − 11.4%, respectively; P

Abstract To address the shortcomings of current hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) surveillance tests, we set out to find HCC-specific methylation markers and develop a highly sensitive polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based method to detect them in circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA). The analysis of large methylome data revealed that Ring Finger Protein 135 (RNF135) and Lactate Dehydrogenase B (LDHB) are universally applicable HCC methylation markers with no discernible methylation level detected in any other tissue types. These markers were used to develop Methylation Sensitive High-Resolution Analysis (MS-HRM), and their diagnostic accuracy was tested using cfDNA from healthy, at-risk, and HCC patients. The combined MS-HRM RNF135 and LDHB analysis detected 57% of HCC, outperforming the alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) test’s sensitivity of 45% at comparable specificity. Furthermore, when used with the AFP test, the methylation assay can detect 70% of HCC. Our findings suggest that the cfDNA methylation assay could be used for HCC liquid biopsy.

Background : Pretransplant therapies such as rituximab and plasmapheresis have led to an increase in ABO-incompatible (ABOi) living donor liver transplantation (LDLT), thus helping to overcome organ shortages. This study evaluated the changes in anti-A/B titers and CD19 levels over time in patients undergoing ABOi LT and aimed to understand the effect of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in Fc gamma receptor (FcγR) on rituximab therapy. Methods : Two SNPs of FCGR2A (131H/R) and FCGR3A (158F/V) were identified. The clinical data on 44 patients who underwent ABOi LDLT between May 2019 and October 2021 at Seoul National University Hospital were reviewed retrospectively. Results : Following desensitization with rituximab and subsequent LDLT, the anti-A/B titer recovered within 1 week, but decreased thereafter. The CD19 level increased at 3 months after LT. The genotyping data for FCGR3A (158F/V) indicated that two patients had the V/V genotype, and 42 had the F/V genotype. In the genotyping data for FCGR2A (131H/R), 21 patients had the H/H genotype, three had the R/R genotype, and 20 had the H/R genotype. However, there were no significant differences in anti-A/B and CD19 levels, bacteremia rates, T cell-mediated rejection, antibody-mediated rejection, or the survival rate among the FCGR2A types. Conclusions: There were significant changes in the anti-A/B titers and CD19 levels over time in each patient after ABOi LDLT. The difference in outcomes following LT according to the FcγR SNP type for rituximab was unclear. Further studies with larger sample sizes are needed to confirm the effect of FcγR SNPs on rituximab therapy.

Adrenal and spinal metastases of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are rare entities with significant morbidity and mortality, particularly after liver transplantation (LT). We report a case of a 49-year-old man who underwent LT for hepatitis B-related end-stage liver disease and HCC (single 4.5 cm lesion [T1N0], without vascular invasion) in 2016. Eighteen months later, adrenal metastasis and hepatitis B seropositive conversion were developed with normal serum tumor. Adrenal metastasis was treated with radiation therapy (RT) and hepatitis B showed spontaneous seronegative conversion. However, 35 months later, spinal metastasis occurred with elevation of the protein induced by vitamin K absence or antagonist-II (PIVKA-II) level (197 mAU/mL), along with hepatitis B seropositive conversion. After sorafenib, sequential regorafenib with RT led to partial response of the spinal lesions, along with hepatitis B seronegative conversion and normal PIVKA-II levels. After 9 months of regorafenib combined with RT, two recurrent lesions were found, as well as hepatitis B seropositive conversion and lesions were treated with transarterial chemoembolization. The patient survived for more than 71 months after LT and 53 months after recurrence under various combinations of therapy. Combined systemic and locoregional therapies can be a treatment option for HCC recurrence, even in LT patients.

Background Post-reperfusion syndrome (PRS) results in sudden hemodynamic instability following graft reperfusion. Although PRS is known to influence outcomes following liver transplantation, little is known regarding the effects of anesthetics on PRS. This study investigated the association between the type of anesthetic agent and PRS in liver transplantation. Methods This single-center retrospective cohort study included patients who underwent liver transplantation between June 2016 and December 2019. Patients were divided into sevoflurane and propofol groups according to the anesthetic agent used. Stabilized inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) analysis was performed to investigate the association between PRS identified based on blood pressure recordings and the type of anesthesia. Associations between the anesthetic agent and the duration of hypotension as well as early postoperative outcomes were also investigated. Results Data were analyzed for 398 patients, 304 (76.4%) and 94 (23.6%) of whom were anesthetized with propofol and sevoflurane, respectively. PRS developed in 40.7% of the 398 patients. Following stabilized IPTW analysis, the association with PRS was lower in the sevoflurane group than in the propofol group (odds ratio, 0.47; P = 0.018). However, there was no association between the type of anesthetic used and early postoperative outcomes. Conclusions The association of PRS was lower in the sevoflurane group than in the propofol group. However, there was no association between the type of anesthetic and the early postoperative outcomes. Further studies are required to determine the optimal anesthetic for liver transplantation.

Abstract Background Combined hepatocellular‐cholangiocarcinoma (cHCC‐CCA) is a rare primary hepatic neoplasm. Currently, there are no well‐structured studies that analyze the feasibility of laparoscopic liver resection in cHCC‐CCA alone. This retrospective cohort study aimed to compare the long‐term survival of laparoscopic liver resection with open liver resection in cHCC‐CCA. Methods Patients with a postoperative pathologic report of cHCC‐CCA who underwent liver resection from August 2004 to December 2017 were included in this study. Kaplan–Meier survival analysis was performed to analyze the 3‐y disease‐free survival and 3‐y overall survival. Propensity score matching was done to reduce the influence of confounding variables. Results A total of 145 patients were pathologically confirmed to have cHCC‐CCA, of which 10 patients were excluded due to having received palliative surgery. Of the remaining 135 patients, 43 underwent laparoscopic and 92 underwent open liver resection; propensity score matching yielded 30 patients for each group. The 3‐y overall survival was 38 (88.4%) in the laparoscopic group and 84 (91.3%) in the open group before propensity score matching (P = .678), and 25 (83.3%) and 28 (93.3%), respectively, after matching (P = .257). The 3‐y disease‐free survival was 24 (55.8%) in the laparoscopic group and 32 (34.8%) in the open group before matching (P = .040), and 17 (56.7%) and 16 (53.3%), respectively, after matching (P = .958). The hospital stay was shorter in the laparoscopic group before and after matching, while other operative outcomes were similar in both groups. Conclusion Laparoscopic liver resection for cHCC‐CCA is technically feasible and safe, having a shorter hospital stay without compromising oncological outcomes.

BackgroundA short-term weight reduction program for potential living donors was introduced to reduce the extent of hepatic steatosis prior to liver transplantation. We aimed to investigate changes in non-invasive hepatic steatosis and fibrosis indices among those who completed the program.MethodsAmong 1,950 potential living liver donors between January 2011 and May 2019, 160 living donors joined the weight reduction program. The prospectively collected clinical data of these potential liver donors were analyzed retrospectively. Hepatic steatosis and fibrosis scores were determined using the fatty liver index (FLI), hepatic steatosis index (HSI), and NAFLD fibrosis score (NFS) and compared to MR spectroscopy (MRS) fat fraction results before and after weight reduction.ResultsThirty-nine potential living donors who had undergone MRS both before and after weight reduction were included in the analysis. Their body weight decreased from 78.02 ± 10.89 kg to 72.36 ± 10.38 kg over a mean of 71.74 ± 58.11 days. FLI, HSI, and MRS values decreased significantly from 41.52 ± 19.05 to 24.53 ± 15.93, 39.64 ± 3.74 to 35.06 ± 3.82, and 12.20 ± 4.05 to 6.24 ± 3.36, respectively. No significant decreases in NFS were observed. There was a significant correlation between the extent of HSI change and the extent of MRS change (R2 value = 0.69, P < 0.001), although there was no correlation between MRS and FLI.ConclusionThe weight reduction program significantly improved non-invasive indices of hepatic steatosis over a short period. HSI may allow for prediction of simple decreases in hepatic steatosis.

Background: Recently, there have been several reports on pure laparoscopic donor right hepatectomy (PLDRH), but the effect of pure laparoscopy on bench surgery has not been evaluated. This study aimed to compare bench-surgery time between PLDRH and conventional donor right hepatectomy (CDRH).Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 758 live liver donors between January 2012 and December 2019. We divided the patients into two groups: between January 2012 and September 2015, when we exclusively performed CDRH, and between March 2016 and December 2019, when PLDRH was standardized. We excluded all other types of graft donor hepatectomy, laparoscopic assisted donor hepatectomy, and cases with no recorded data.Results: In total, 267 donors were included in the PLDRH group and were compared with 247 donors in the CDRH group. Similar proportions of graft vascular variations were observed between the two groups. The mean bench-surgery time was longer in the PLDRH group than in the CDRH group (49.3 ± 19.9 vs. 39.5 ± 17.5 min; P < 0.001).Conclusion: The bench-surgery time was longer in the PLDRH group than the CDRH group, regardless of whether the vascular network was reconstructed. Expertise in bench-surgery as well as donor surgery and recipient surgery is mandatory for PLDRH to be safe and feasible.

Background: Liver transplantation (LT) is considered a contraindication in patients with a history of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) rupture because ruptured HCCs are classified as T4 in the current American Joint Committee on Cancer TNM system. This study aimed to assess living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) in these patients and elucidate the factors that may have affected their outcomes.Methods: Data of patients with a history of ruptured HCC who underwent LDLT between January 1999 and December 2019 were retrospectively reviewed.Results: Among 789 patients who underwent LDLT for HCC, five (0.64%) had a history of HCC rupture. Three patients (60%) were treated with transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) or transarterial embolization (TAE) for hemostasis, and two patients (40%) achieved spontaneous hemostasis. One of two patients who achieved spontaneous hemostasis underwent surgical resection and LT at 1 week and 6 years after the rupture, respectively. The other patient underwent LT 2 days after the rupture. Four patients (80%) survived for >5 years, while two patients (40%) experienced recurrence and succumbed during the median follow-up duration of 85.3 months (range, 12.4–182.7). The recurrence first developed at 4.3 and 17.0 months after LT; these patients were managed well using surgical resection for peritoneal seeding and TACE for intrahepatic HCC.Conclusion: LDLT can be considered a treatment method even in patients with a history of HCC rupture after full evaluation of tumor biology and risk of recurrence.

BackgroundTherapeutic strategies and good prognostic factors are important for patients with single large hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This retrospective study aimed to identify the prognostic factors in patients with single large HCC with good performance status and Child-Pugh A cirrhosis using a large national cancer registry database and to recommend therapeutic strategies.MethodsAmong 12139 HCC patients registered at the Korean Primary Liver Cancer Registry between 2008 and 2015, single large (≥ 5 cm) HCC patients with Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status 0 and Child-Pugh score A were selected.ResultsOverall, 466 patients were analyzed. The 1-,2-,3-, and 5-year survival rates after initial treatment were 84.9%, 71.0%, 60.1%, and 51.6%, respectively, and progression-free survival rates were 43.6%, 33.0%, 29.0%, and 26.8%, respectively. Platelet count

Background: Although the adoption of pure laparoscopic donor hepatectomy has expanded driven by considerations of donor cosmesis and function, the criteria for selecting candidates for pure laparoscopic donor right hepatectomy (PLDRH) continue to be debated. This study aimed to delineate the distinctive characteristics of donors and recipients who underwent conventional opendonor right hepatectomy (CDRH) during the era of PLDRH. Materials and methods: The authors conducted a retrospective review of a prospectively collected single-centre database encompassing all right hepatectomies at Seoul National University Hospital from April 2016 to December 2021, a period during which there were no absolute contraindications for PLDRH. Results: During the exclusive PLDRH period, there were still 63 cases of CDRH alongside 362 cases of PLDRH. The CDRH donors were older, had a lower estimated remnant liver volume, and a higher incidence of expected multiple openings in the portal vein and bile duct based on preoperative imaging compared with PLDRH donors. In the subgroup analysis, including only donors meeting two or more criteria (age =40 years, estimated remnant liver volume =35%, or multiple anticipated vessel openings), recipients in the PLDRH group exhibited significantly more early major complications (P =0.029) compared with those in the CDRH group. Conclusion: As PLDRH gains traction in practice, it is essential to acknowledge that specific donor conditions, such as advanced age, limited remnant liver volume, and anticipation of multiple portal or bile duct openings, may merit contemplating CDRH as a means of optimizing recipient outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of this study was to identify safety and risk factors of living donor after pure laparoscopic donor right hepatectomy in a Korean multicenter cohort study. Background: Pure laparoscopic donor right hepatectomy is not yet a standardized surgical procedure due to lack of data. Methods: This retrospective study included 543 patients undergoing PLRDH between 2010 and 2018 in 5 Korean transplantation centers. Complication rates were assessed and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to identify risk factors of open conversion, overall complications, major complications, and biliary complications. Results: Regarding open conversion, the incidence was 1.7% and the risk factor was body mass index > 30 kg/m2 [P=0.001, odds ratio (OR)= 22.72, 95% CI= 3.56-146.39]. Rates of overall, major (Clavien-Dindo classification III-IV), and biliary complications were 9.2%, 4.4%, and 3.5%, respectively. For overall complications, risk factors were graft weight >700 g (P= 0.007, OR=2.66, 95% CI=1.31-5.41), estimated blood loss (P<0.001, OR= 4.84, 95% CI=2.50-9.38), and operation time >400 minutes (P=0.01, OR=2.46, 95% CI=1.25-4.88). For major complications, risk factors were graft weight > 700 g (P=0.002, OR=4.01, 95% CI=1.67-9.62) and operation time >400 minutes (P=0.003, OR=3.84, 95% CI=1.60-9.21). For biliary complications, risk factors were graft weight >700 g (P= 0.01, OR=4.34, 95% CI= 1.40-13.45) and operation time >400 minutes (P=0.01, OR=4.16, 95% CI=1.34-12.88). Conclusion: Careful donor selection for PLRDH considering body mass index, graft weight, estimated blood loss, and operation time combined with skilled procedure can improve donor safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Purpose: Since minimally invasive surgery has been incorporated in overall surgery, pure laparoscopic technology is involved in most hepatectomies, including right hepatectomy, in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, its feasibility and safety in right hepatectomy are still controversial owing to the limited literature. This study aimed to compare the short- and longterm outcomes of pure laparoscopic right hepatectomy (PLRH) with those of open right hepatectomy (ORH) in patients with HCC. Methods: The prospectively collected medical records of 327 patients with HCC who underwent right hepatectomy between January 2010 and April 2020 at Seoul National University Hospital were retrospectively reviewed. We performed 1:1 propensity score matching between the PLRH and ORH groups. The primary end point was short-term outcomes, including hospital stay, blood loss, and morbidity; the secondary end point was long-term outcomes, including overall and recurrence- free survival. Results: Forty-nine patients were included in each group. Patients who underwent PLRH had a shorter postoperative hospital stay than those who underwent ORH (12.2 vs 8.9 days; P < .001). The requirement for blood transfusion was significantly lower in the PLRH group than in the ORH group (10.2% vs 2.0%; P = .010). The operative time (P = .479) and proportion of major complications (P = .487) were comparable between the groups. There were no significant differences in overall survival (P = .524) and the recurrence-free survival rate (P = .576) between the groups. Conclusions: Postoperative outcomes, including oncological outcomes, were comparable between PLRH and ORH, showing that PLRH can be a safe and feasible option to replace ORH in patients with HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Post-reperfusion syndrome (PRS) results in sudden hemodynamic instability following graft reperfusion. Although PRS is known to influence outcomes following liver transplantation, little is known regarding the effects of anesthetics on PRS. This study investigated the association between the type of anesthetic agent and PRS in liver transplantation. Methods: This single-center retrospective cohort study included patients who underwent liver transplantation between June 2016 and December 2019. Patients were divided into sevoflurane and propofol groups according to the anesthetic agent used. Stabilized inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) analysis was performed to investigate the association between PRS identified based on blood pressure recordings and the type of anesthesia. Associations between the anesthetic agent and the duration of hypotension as well as early postoperative outcomes were also investigated. Results: Data were analyzed for 398 patients, 304 (76.4%) and 94 (23.6%) of whom were anesthetized with propofol and sevoflurane, respectively. PRS developed in 40.7% of the 398 patients. Following stabilized IPTW analysis, the association with PRS was lower in the sevoflurane group than in the propofol group (odds ratio, 0.47; P = 0.018). However, there was no association between the type of anesthetic used and early postoperative outcomes. Conclusions: The association of PRS was lower in the sevoflurane group than in the propofol group. However, there was no association between the type of anesthetic and the early postoperative outcomes. Further studies are required to determine the optimal anesthetic for liver transplantation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study evaluated endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) and percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTBD) as interventions for patients with anastomotic biliary complications (ABC) after living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). Methods: Prospectively collected data of patients who were diagnosed with ABC after LDLT between January 2013 and June 2017 were retrospectively reviewed. Results: There were 57 patients who underwent LDLT with a right liver graft using duct-to-duct biliary reconstruction and experienced ABC. Among the patients with RAD involvement, there were no significant differences in the intervention success (p = 0.271) and patency rates (p = 0.267) between ERCP and PTBD. Similarly, among the patients with RPD involvement, there were no significant differences in the intervention success (p = 0.148) and patency rates (p = 0.754) between the two procedures. Graft bile duct variation (p = 0.013) and a large angle between the recipient and graft bile duct (R-G angle) (p = 0.012) significantly increased the likelihood of failure of ERCP in the RAD. When the R-G angle was greater than 47.5°, the likelihood of ERCP failure increased. Conclusion: We recommend PTBD when graft bile duct variation is presented in patients with RAD involvement and/or when the R-G angle is greater than 47.5°. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate the long-term mortality of Korean live liver donors using data from a national donor registry by comparing it with the mortality of the general population. Summary of background data: Although live liver donors generally have a healthy status, their long-term mortality has not been properly addressed in a large donor registry. Methods: Data of 10,116 live liver donors were drawn from a mandated national registry of Korean live liver donors between 2000 and 2015. Matched controls were selected from the Korean National Health Insurance System-National Sample Cohort (NHIS-NSC). Median (range) follow-up of liver donors was 5.7 (0-15.9) years. Donors were 1:3 individually matched to controls by sex and 5-year age group; potential controls were from the whole NHIS-NSC (Control 1) or from NHIS-NSC after excluding people with contraindications to be organ donors (Control 2) (donor, n = 7538; Control 1, n = 28,248; Control 2, n = 28,248). Results: Fifty-three deaths occurred after donation. Ten-year cumulative mortality of live liver donors was 0.9%. The most common cause of death was suicide (n = 19) followed by cancer (n = 9) and traffic accident (n = 7). In the matched control analysis, overall risk of death was significantly lower in donors than in Control 1 (P < 0.001), but higher than in Control 2 (P < 0.001). Conclusions: Liver donors have increased long-term mortality risk compared to similar healthy controls without contraindications to be organ donors. Therefore, long-term follow-up, including psychosocial support, is needed for live liver donors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The Expert Consensus Guidelines initiative on MIDH for LDLT was organized with the goal of safe implementation and development of these complex techniques with donor safety as the main priority. Background: Following the development of minimally invasive liver surgery, techniques of MIDH were developed with the aim of reducing the short- and long-term consequences of the procedure on liver donors. These techniques, although increasingly performed, lack clinical guidelines. Methods: A group of 12 international MIDH experts, 1 research coordinator, and 8 junior faculty was assembled. Comprehensive literature search was made and studies classified using the SIGN method. Based on literature review and experts opinions, tentative recommendations were made by experts subgroups and submitted to the whole experts group using on-line Delphi Rounds with the goal of obtaining >90% Consensus. Pre-conference meeting formulated final recommendations that were presented during the plenary conference held in Seoul on September 7, 2019 in front of a Validation Committee composed of LDLT experts not practicing MIDH and an international audience. Results: Eighteen Clinical Questions were addressed resulting in 44 recommendations. All recommendations reached at least a 90% consensus among experts and were afterward endorsed by the validation committee. Conclusions: The Expert Consensus on MIDH has produced a set of clinical guidelines based on available evidence and clinical expertise. These guidelines are presented for a safe implementation and development of MIDH in LDLT Centers with the goal of optimizing donor safety, donor care, and recipient outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies on effective immunosuppressive strategies for the management of patients undergoing a liver transplantation (LT) due to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are limited. In the present study, immunosuppressive candidates predicted to exhibit beneficial immunosuppressive and tumor-suppressive effects in patients with HCC were assessed using Huh7 and HEP3B HCC cells, which have high proportions of CD133+EpCAM+ cancer stem cell (CSC) populations. The immunosuppressants assessed were sirolimus, tacrolimus, cyclosporine A and mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), and their activities were assessed on CSCs. Sirolimus and MMF reduced the proliferation of Huh7 and HEP3B cells; however, the proportion of CD133+EpCAM+ was notably increased in treated Huh7 cells. Sirolimus treatment alone resulted in G0-G1 cell cycle arrest at all doses in all Huh7 and CD133-EpCAM- populations; however, CD133+EpCAM+ populations showed only slight G1 arrest at higher doses only. In contrast, S-phase arrest was induced at all doses in the Huh7, CD133-EpCAM- and CD133+EpCAM+ populations by MMF. Sirolimus and MMF effectively reduced the proliferation of Huh7 and HEP3B cells, but did not exert a notable effect on the CD133+EpCAM+ cells. Therefore, therapeutic strategies utilizing Sirolimus and MMF should be further studied in vivo for regulation of CSC populations in order to reduce HCC recurrence rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Aims Pure laparoscopic donor hepatectomy (PLDH) has become increasingly accepted in the minimally invasive surgery era. However, the outcomes of pure laparoscopic donor left hepatectomy (PLDLH) are relatively less known than left lateral sectionectomy or right hepatectomy. The present study aimed to report the experience and outcomes of PLDLH including the middle hepatic vein and to compare them with conventional donor left hepatectomy (CDLH). Methods The medical records of live liver donors between January 2010 and January 2018 at Seoul National University Hospital were retrospectively reviewed. Donors who underwent left hepatectomy including the middle hepatic vein were included. To minimize selection bias, donors who underwent CDLH after the initiation of PLDH program were excluded. Subsequently, there were 18 donors who underwent CDLH and eight who underwent PLDLH. Results The warm ischemic time (4 minutes; interquartile range [IQR], 2 to 7 minutes vs 11 minutes; IQR, 10 to 16 minutes; p=0.001) was longer in the PLDLH group compared with CDLH group. The total operation time (265 minutes; IQR, 255 to 308 minutes vs 333 minutes [IQR 281-376 minutes]; p=0.090) and time to remove the liver (182 minutes; IQR, 172 to 205 minutes vs 245 minutes; IQR, 196 to 276 minutes; p=0.081) were also longer in PLDLH but not statistically significant. The length of postoperative hospital stay was significantly shorter in the PLDLH group (9 days; IQR, 8 to 10 days vs 7 days; IQR, 7 to 8 days; p=0.006). There was no postoperative complication in PLDLH group. The rate of complications in recipients was similar in both groups. Conclusions PLDLH including the middle hepatic vein appears to be safe and feasible. Further analysis including long-term outcome is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Aims Pure laparoscopic donor right hepatectomy (PLDRH) has been reported as a safe and feasible approach. However, its outcomes have not yet been evaluated in a large comparative study. The aim of this study is to describe our experience with PLDRH and to compare its outcomes with those of open right hepatectomy in live liver donors using propensity score matching. Methods The medical records of live liver donors between January 2010 and September 2018 at Seoul National University Hospital were retrospectively reviewed. Donors who underwent hepatectomy other than conventional open right hepatectomy or PLDRH were excluded. Propensity score matching study was conducted. Subsequently, 198 donors were included in each group. Results The total operation time (270.8 vs 289.9, p<0.001), time to remove the liver (166.2 vs 211.4, p<0.001), and warm ischemic time (3.7 vs 12.3, p<0.001) were longer in the PLDRH group. The percentage of getting multiple bile duct openings was higher in the PLDRH group (44.9% vs 56.1%, p=0.027). ΔHemoglobin (Hb)%, calculated as ΔHb%= [(preoperative Hb−postoperative Hb)/preoperative Hb]x100, was lower (21.3% vs 16.6%, p<0.001) and Δaspartate aminotransferase (AST)%, calculated as ΔAST%=[(postoperative AST−preoperative AST)/preoperative AST]x100 (783.8% vs 1,136.9%, p<0.001), and Δalanine aminotransferase (ALT)%, calculated as ΔALT%=[(postoperative ALT−preoperative ALT)/preoperative ALT]x100 (912.7% vs 1,358.1, p<0.001), were higher in the PLDRH group. The length of postoperative hospital stay was significantly shorter in the PLDRH group (8.6 days vs 7.5 days, p<0.001). However, the rate of complications was similar in both groups (10.6% vs 6.1%, p=0.102). Conclusions PLDRH is safe and feasible when performed at an experienced LDLT center. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]