Adult-to-adult right-lobe living donor liver transplantation in high model for end-stage liver disease score recipients with hepatitis B virus-related benign liver diseases.

Purpose: We evaluated the safety and efficacy of adult-to-adult right-lobe living donor liver transplantation (ARL-LDLT) in HBV-related benign liver disease recipients with high model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) scores. Methods: The subjects of this study were 70 adult patients who underwent ARL-LDLT and 191 who underwent DDLT, for HBV-related end-stage liver diseases, between May 2002 and December 2009. Short-term outcomes were assessed by 30-day mortality and graft loss, parameters indicating graft dysfunction, length of hospital stay, and postoperative complications within 3 months. Long-term transplant outcomes were measured by graft- and patient survival and HBV recurrence rates at 1, 3, and 5 years. Results: There were no differences in donor outcomes or recipient short-term outcomes between the groups, although recipients with a high MELD score (Group H) had a higher incidence of pneumonia. High MELD score versus low MELD score recipients had similar 1-, 3-, and 5-year patient survival rates and post-transplant HBV recurrence rates. In the matched DDLT cases, a similar tendency was observed between group H and group L. Conclusions: ARL-LDLT can be performed safely and effectively in high-MELD score patients with HBV-related benign liver disease; thus, a high MELD score may not contraindicate ARL-LDLT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]