Long-term outcome of ABO-incompatible living-donor liver transplantation: a single-center experience

Purpose We report the long-term outcome of ABO-incompatible living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) performed in our hospital. Methods We started the LDLT program in 1991 and from that year up to now (2008) 11 patients have received an ABO-incompatible graft. Results Nine out of the 11 cases have survived from 3.7 years to 13.9 years (mean 7.3 years) and they are in good conditions at present. Seven patients were subjected to preoperative apheresis. Eight patients experienced acute rejection and of them, 6 experienced steroid-resistant rejection that was treated with deoxyspergualin and apheresis. One patient who suffered rapidly progressing rejection died due to liver failure. Three patients who were administered rituximab did not suffer severe rejection nor adverse effects. During the long-term follow up 5 recipients had major complications such as postoperative lymphoproliferative disease, post-transplantation diabetes mellitus, portal vein occlusion and biliary stenosis. But those complications were controlled under stable conditions. Conclusions We concluded that long-term survival can be expected after ABO-incompatible LDLT provided perioperative complications such as humoral rejection are overcome.