Karl‐Heinz Schulz, Sylvia Kroencke, Mingo Beckmann, Silvio Nadalin, Andreas Paul, Lutz Fischer, Björn Nashan, Wolfgang Senf, Yesim Erim – 24 November 2009 – In a quasi‐experimental design, we investigated the quality of life (QOL) in actual liver donors (n = 43) and potential liver donors (n = 33) before and 3 months after liver transplantation. This is the first study in this field combining a prospective design with an adequate control group.

Jean F. Botha, B. Daniel Campos, Jason Johanning, David Mercer, Wendy Grant, Alan Langnas – 24 November 2009 – Adult‐to‐adult living donor liver transplantation is an accepted treatment option for patients with end‐stage liver disease. It is generally acknowledged that a graft weight to recipient body weight ratio > 0.8 is required in order to prevent the development of small‐for‐size syndrome.

Rafael Lopez‐Andujar, Saulo Deusa, Eva Montalvá, Fernando San Juan, Angel Moya, Eugenia Pareja, Manuel DeJuan, Marina Berenguer, Martín Prieto, Jose Mir – 24 November 2009 – University of Wisconsin solution (UWS) is the gold standard for graft preservation. Celsior solution (CS) is a new solution not as yet widely used in liver grafts. The aim of this study was to compare the liver function of transplanted grafts stored in these 2 preservation solutions. The primary endpoints were the rates of primary nonfunction (PNF) and primary dysfunction (PDF).

Wayel Jassem, Susan Fuggle, Richard Thompson, Matthew Arno, Jennifer Taylor, Jane Byrne, Nigel Heaton, Mohamed Rela – 24 November 2009 – Ischemic preconditioning (IP) is an effective method for protecting organs from ischemia/reperfusion (IR) injury; however, the molecular basis of this protective effect is poorly understood. This study assessed the gene expression profile in liver allografts during transplantation and evaluated the impact of IP.

Michelangelo Fiorentino, Francesco Vasuri, Matteo Ravaioli, Lorenza Ridolfi, Walter Franco Grigioni, Antonio Daniele Pinna, Antonia D'Errico‐Grigioni – 24 November 2009 – Histological quality assessment of donated livers is a key factor for extending the cadaveric donor pool for liver transplantation. We retrospectively compared frozen‐section analysis with routine histological permanent slides and the outcomes of grafts in liver biopsies from 294 candidate donors.

Jorge Rakela, John F. Fung – 24 November 2009

Jie Ren, Ming‐De Lu, Rong‐Qin Zheng, Min‐Qiang Lu, Mei Liao, Yong‐Jiang Mao, Zhi‐Juan Zheng, Yan Lu – 24 November 2009 – The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of contrast‐enhanced ultrasound for depicting the perfusion of hilar bile ducts in ischemic‐type biliary lesions after orthotopic liver transplantation. Thirteen transplant recipients with ischemic‐type biliary lesions and 12 patients without ischemic‐type biliary lesions underwent ultrasound examinations after the injection of 1.5 mL of an intravenous contrast agent.

John A. Stauffer, Jeffery L. Steers, Hugo Bonatti, Marjorie K. Dougherty, Jaime Aranda‐Michel, Rolland C. Dickson, Denise M. Harnois, Justin H. Nguyen – 24 November 2009 – Liver transplantation may occasionally be indicated in patients with unique clinical scenarios. Little is known regarding the outcomes of patients who have had a pancreatic resection prior to, in combination with, or after liver transplantation. A retrospective review of all patients undergoing liver transplantation from March 1998 to March 2008 identified 17 patients who also underwent pancreatic resection.

Zoe A. Stewart, Jayme E. Locke, Dorry L. Segev, Nabil N. Dagher, Andrew L. Singer, Robert A. Montgomery, Andrew M. Cameron – 24 November 2009 – Hepatic artery thrombosis (HAT) is the most common vascular complication after liver transplantation; it has been reported to occur in 2% to 5% of liver transplant recipients. Most reports of HAT in the literature describe single‐center series with small numbers of patients and lack the power to definitively identify nontechnical risk factors.

24 November 2009