Hugo R. Rosen, Jonathan M. Schwartz – 30 December 2003 – Recurrence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection after liver transplantation is almost universal and usually leads to chronic hepatitis with different degrees of severity. The pathogenic mechanisms underlying the variable outcome of HCV infection recurrence are not well defined, but recent data suggest that the dynamics of HCV quasispecies may be involved.

Giorgio Ballardini, Emilio De Raffele, Paolo Groff, Paulette Bioulac‐Sage, Alberto Grassi, Sabrina Ghetti, Micaela Susca, Mario Strazzabosco, Roberto Bellusci, Rosa Maria Iemmolo, Gianluca Grazi, Daniela Zauli, Antonino Cavallari, Francesco Bianco Bianchi – 30 December 2003 – Pathogenic mechanisms and dynamics of hepatitis C virus (HCV) reinfection in orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) are poorly defined.

A. Joseph Tector, Jonathan A. Fridell, Nahel Elias, Taichi Watanabe, Julie Salazar, Doris Greinke, Peter Metrakos, Jean I. Tchervenkov – 30 December 2003 – Discordant liver xenotransplantation is a poorly explored entity. Data from the few large animal studies of hepatic xenotransplantation suggest that severe hemorrhage is encountered. The purpose of the studies described here is to characterize the nature of the hemorrhage that accompanies liver xenotransplantation. Canine livers were transplanted into porcine recipients, and lethal hemorrhage was encountered.

Robert S. Brown, K. Shiva Kumar, Mark W. Russo, Milan Kinkhabwala, Dianne L. Rudow, Patricia Harren, Steven Lobritto, Jean C. Emond – 30 December 2003 – The Model for End‐Stage Liver Disease (MELD) has been proposed as a replacement for the Child‐Turcotte‐Pugh (CTP) classification to stratify patients for prioritization for orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT).

Ryutaro Hirose – 30 December 2003

Charles J. Imber, Shawn D. St. Peter, Inigo Lopez, Lynden Guiver, Peter J. Friend – 30 December 2003 – A strong association exists between the presence of steatosis in a donor liver for transplantation and the development of primary nonfunction in the recipient. Despite this, appraisal of the donor remains one of the least scientific aspects of the transplantation process, and many centers base their practice on subjective opinion, rather than objective data.

Charles J. Imber, Shawn D. St. Peter, Ashok Handa, Peter J. Friend – 30 December 2003 – Fatty infiltration of the liver is common in the brain‐dead donor population and has a strong correlation with primary nonfunction after cold preservation, a condition that is catastrophic to liver transplant recipients. This literature review examines factors associated with the development, diagnosis, quantification, and clinical management of this difficult condition.

Silvania K. Pimentel Cauduro, Lydia M. Petrovic, Thomas C. Sodeman, Michael Brian Ishitani, K.V. Narayanan Menon, J. Eileen Hay – 30 December 2003

Rosmawati Mohamed, Jonathan W. Freeman, Peter J. Guest, Michael K. Davies, James M. Neuberger – 30 December 2003 – Abnormal diffusing capacity is the commonest pulmonary dysfunction in liver transplant candidates, but severe hypoxemia secondary to hepatopulmonary syndrome and significant pulmonary hypertension are pulmonary vascular manifestations of cirrhosis that may affect the perioperative course. We prospectively assessed the extent of pulmonary dysfunction in patients referred for liver transplantation. A total of 57 consecutive patients with chronic liver disease were evaluated.

M. Susan Mandell, Dennis Lezotte, Igal Kam, Stacy Zamudio – 30 December 2003 – Part 1 of our report, presented in the same issue of the Journal, shows that immediate postoperative extubation and direct transfer to the surgical ward is safe and reduces reliance on the intensive care unit in most liver transplant recipients. However, there is no method to preoperatively predict which patients will need ventilatory support after surgery.