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Background: Liver transplantation (LT) is an important treatment for acute liver failure and end-stage liver disease. Due to the limited supply of livers, there are still thousands of candidates waiting for transplantation in Turkey. We aimed to analyze LT waiting list access by demographics and etiology, particularly the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), which has been prioritized for LT in recent years., Materials and Methods: Between 2011 and 2018, all patients listed for LT in our center were retrospectively reviewed. Demographic features, etiology of liver disease, waiting time, Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score, and survival data were recorded. Differences between the LT group and deceased patients on the waiting list were evaluated., Results: During this period, 266 patients were included in the LT waiting list. Only 119 patients (44.7%) underwent LT (men, 94; women, 25; mean age, 53 years), whereas 103 (38%) died (men, 60; women, 43; mean age, 53 years) in the waiting period. Seventeen patients were status 1A or 1B and of these, 7 patients died from fulminant hepatic failure. MELD score was significantly higher in deceased group (28 ± 7 vs 25 ± 6; P = .014). The frequency of HCC was significantly higher in LT group (29% vs 11%; P = .002). Overall survival of the patients in the waiting list with and without liver transplantation were 63% and 41%, respectively., Conclusions: HCC is one of the leading etiologies that is considered for cadaveric LT from the waiting list in our center. These patients had slightly lower MELD scores compared to deceased patients with shorter waiting times. We recommend early referral and close monitoring of the patients who are LT candidates., (Copyright © 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background/aims: Our aim was to determine the etiologies, outcomes, and prognostic indicators in children with acute liver failure., Materials and Methods: Ninety-one patients who were followed for pediatric acute liver failure (PALF) over a 15-year period were included. Patients who survived with supportive therapy were designated as Group 1, while those who died or underwent liver transplantation were designated as Group 2., Results: There were 37 (40.6%) patients in Group 1 (spontaneous recovery) and 54 (59.4%) patients in Group 2. Thirty-two patients (35.2%) underwent liver transplantation. Infectious and indeterminate causes were the most common etiologies (33% each). Among the infectious causes, hepatitis A (76%) was the most frequent. Hepatic encephalopathy grade 3-4 on admission and during follow-up and high Pediatric Risk of Mortality (PRISM) and Pediatric End-Stage Liver Disease (PELD) scores within the first 24 h were related with a poor prognosis. Group 2 had a more prolonged prothrombin time, higher international normalized ratio, more prolonged activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), and higher levels of total and direct bilirubin, ammonia, and lactate (for all, p<0.01)., Conclusion: Infectious and indeterminate cases constituted the most common etiology of PALF, and the etiology was related to the prognosis in our series. Although high PELD and PRISM scores were related to poor prognoses, no sharp thresholds for individual laboratory tests could be elucidated. Liver transplantation was the only curative treatment for patients with poor prognoses and resulted in high survival rates (1-, 5-, and 10-year survival rates of 81.3%, 81.3%, and 75%, respectively) in our study.

Objectives: Acute liver failure is a life-threatening condition with sudden onset liver injury, decreased liver functions, hepatic encephalopathy, and coagulopathy in patients without preexisting liver disease. In this study, we sought to evaluate the results of liver transplant as a treatment for acute liver failure., Materials and Methods: Between November 1988 and March 2015, we performed 482 liver transplants in 471 patients. We performed 36 liver transplants in 35 patients because of acute liver failure. Only 5 of these were from deceased donors. Thirty of those 34 patients were pediatric (85%) and 5 were adults (15%)., Results: Five patients died (4 in early postoperative period and 1 during the 18th month of living-donor liver transplant). We diagnosed 11 acute rejections (32%); 6 biliary leaks (17%); 6 intraabdominal hemorrhage (17%); 5 hepatic arterial thromboses (15%), and 1 venous complication (3%) during the early postoperative period. We have no morbidity or mortality in living-donor liver transplants., Conclusions: Living-donor liver transplants are an efficient and successful treatment for acute liver failure patients. In our center, we mostly consider and prefer living-donor liver transplants to deceased-donor liver transplant because of the paucity of organ donation, especially for pediatric patients. Considering acceptable postoperative complications, living-donor liver transplant is a lifesaving treatment for acute liver failure.

Objectives: Liver transplant is an established curative therapy for children with chronic end-stage liver disease or acute liver failure. In this study, we aimed to evaluate pediatric liver transplant in terms of outcomes, complications, and long-term followup results., Materials and Methods: Pediatric patients who had liver transplant in our institution were included. We retrospectively evaluated demographic features including body weight, Child-Pugh score, etiology of liver disease, graft source, perioperative outcomes, perioperative complications, postoperative complications, and long-term results. Outcomes of treatment of complications and revision transplant were evaluated., Results: Between September 2001 and December 2013, there were 188 pediatric liver transplants performed in our institution. Most grafts (90.9%) were obtained from living-related donors. There were 13 patients (6.9%) who had an intervention because of a hemorrhage postoperatively. Biliary leakage was observed in 33 patients (17.5%) and biliary stricture during follow-up was observed in 32 patients (17%). Thrombosis rates in the hepatic artery and portal vein were 12.3% and 0.5%. Revision transplant was performed in 11 patients (5.8%); reason for revision transplant was rejection in 50% patients. The remaining children were alive with good graft functioning after treatment of complications and revision transplant. The overall 5- and 10-year survival rates were 82.3% and 78.9%., Conclusions: The overall outcomes of pediatric liver transplant at our center are very promising. With improved care of younger children and the combined efforts of the parents and medical team, the number of the children receiving transplants will increase in the future.

Objectives: We assessed the anesthetic management and short-term morbidity and mortality in pediatrics patients who underwent an orthotopic liver transplant for fulminant hepatic failure or end-stage liver disease in a university hospital., Material and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the records of children who underwent orthotopic liver transplant from May 2002 to May 2012. Patients were categorized into 2 groups: group fulminant hepatic failure (n=22) and group end-stage liver disease (n=19). Perioperative data related to anesthetic management and intraoperative events were collected along with information related to postoperative course and survival to hospital discharge., Results: Mean age and weight for groups fulminant hepatic failure and end-stage liver disease were 8.6 ± 2.7 years and 10.8 ± 3.8 years (P = .04) and 29.2 ± 11.9 kg and 33.7 ± 16.9 kg (P = .46). There were no differences between the groups regarding length of anhepatic phase (65 ± 21 min vs 73 ± 18 min, P = .13) and operation time (9.1 ± 1.6 h vs 9.5 ± 1.8 h, P = .23). When compared with the patients in group fulminant hepatic failure, those in group end-stage liver disease more commonly had a Glasgow Coma score of 7 or less (32% vs 6%, P = .04). Compared with patients in group fulminant hepatic failure, those in group end-stage liver disease were more frequently extubated in the operating room (31.8% versus 89.5% P < .001). Postoperative duration of mechanical ventilation (2.78 ± 4.02 d vs 2.85 ± 10.21 d, P = .05), and the mortality rates at 1 year after orthotopic liver transplant (7.3% vs 0%, P = .09) were similar between the groups., Conclusions: During pediatric orthotopic liver transplant, those children with fulminant hepatic failure require more intraoperative fluids and more frequent perioperative mechanical ventilation than those with end-stage liver disease.

Background/aims: We aimed to determine the causes, demographic findings, clinical status, outcomes, and prognostic risk factors of patients with acute liver failure admitted to Hacettepe University Children's Hospital between October 1987-October 2006., Methods: This retrospective case study included 74 patients with acute liver failure according to the Pediatric Acute Liver Failure Study Group definition., Results: The etiology of acute liver failure was metabolic in 26 (35.1%) and infectious in 21 (28.4%) patients. Sixteen (21.6%) patients had indeterminate causes. Wilson's disease (16/26 patients, 61.5%) was the most frequent metabolic disease, while hepatitis A (14/21 patients, 66.7%) was the most frequent infectious agent. Neurologic functions were normal in 21 (28.4%) patients. Forty-nine (66.2%) patients died and 24 (32.4%) recovered. Two patients underwent liver transplantation. The mortality rate was 82.9% for patients who were not transplanted but fulfilled King's College Hospital criteria and 45.4% for patients who were not suitable for transplantation. This difference was statistically significant (p=0.001). Total bilirubin >5.35 mg/dl, international normalized ratio (INR) >3.66 and prothrombin time >23.5 seconds were shown to be the risk factors to predict death., Conclusions: Metabolic and infectious etiologies were responsible for most of the acute liver failure cases. Clinical encephalopathy may not be present in children.

Background: Acute liver failure (ALF) carries a high mortality unless urgent orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) is performed on time. Live donors are utilized to treat this irreversible condition first in pediatric cases and then in adults. Herein, we aimed to report our experience with live donors for ALF in a country of a deceased donor organ donation rate is only 1.5 per million people., Methods: Among the 245 live donor liver transplantations (LDLT) performed from June 1999 to December 2005, 14 of them (6%) were performed for ALF in 8 pediatric and 6 adult cases. Right lobes were harvested for the adult cases whereas left lateral segments were harvested for pediatric cases, except one child transplanted with a right lobe graft. The etiology of the disease was; acute hepatitis B in four cases, hepatitis A in three cases, Wilson disease two cases, autoimmune hepatitis in two cases, and was unknown in three cases., Results: Three-year graft and patient survival is 79% for these series. Five of the six adult patients and six of the eight pediatric cases survived after transplantation. There was not any donor mortality or major morbidity., Conclusions: LDLT offers a safe and effective modality of treatment for ALF for both pediatric and adult patients to overcome the problem of organ shortage especially in countries where the chance of receiving an organ from a deceased donor is low.

Background/aims: Acute liver failure is a fatal condition unless an urgent liver transplantation is performed. In countries like Turkey, because of limited availability of cadaveric allografts, living donors could be used as an organ source for acute liver failure. We report our single center experience., Methodology: Six adult-to-adult right lobe living donor liver transplantations have been performed for those patients admitted with fulminant liver failure between September 2000 and April 2004., Results: The age of the patients ranged between 19 and 54 years. Etiology was fulminant hepatitis B in 4 patients, Wilson's disease in 1 patient, and unknown in 1 patient. Five of 6 patients survived and are currently alive and well with a mean 30 (2-46) months follow-up. None of the survivors had neurological sequela. One patient died because of sepsis 2 months after transplantation. There was no donor mortality., Conclusions: Adult-to-adult right lobe living donor liver transplantation seems to be an effective and safe option for patients with fulminant liver failure, especially in countries with a limited number of available cadaveric donors.