Predictors of Diarrhea after Hepatectomy and Its Impact on Gastrointestinal Quality of Life in Living Donors

Background Donor safety and preservation of donor health after living liver donation are of paramount importance. Diarrhea has a significant influence on gastrointestinal quality of life among donors who have undergone living donor hepatectomy. Thus, we aimed to investigate predictors of diarrhea after hepatectomy and its impact on gastrointestinal quality of life in living donors. Methods We retrospectively examined the medical records of 204 living liver donors who underwent hepatectomy during the period January 2010 to June 2013 at a single medical center. Diarrhea was defined as the passing of three or more liquid stools per day. The Chinese version of the Gastrointestinal Quality of Life Index (GIQLI) was used to assess the influence of diarrhea on quality of life in donors. Results During the study period, diarrhea was diagnosed in 62 (30.3%) of the 204 donors and the duration of diarrhea in the majority of them (n = 46, 74%) was