Determinants of early surgical complications after pediatric liver transplantation: A single center/single surgeon experience over 20 years.

Background: The risk of early surgical complications of liver transplantation (LT) is higher in children when compared with adults. The aims of the present retrospective study from a single center cohort/single surgeon were to identify the predictive factors for surgical complications after pediatric LT.

Methods: All children receiving a first LT from October 1990 to October 2010 in our center were included.

Determinants of short-term outcomes after pediatric liver transplantation: a single centre experience over 20 years.

Background: Liver transplantation (LT) is a standard-of-care therapeutic modality for selected patients with life-threatening liver disease, including children. In addition to specific clinical characteristics of pediatric LT recipients due to initial liver disease (and related comorbidities) and level of liver failure, early postoperative outcome may be dependent on the surgical technique used, related to the type of organ donor and graft. Therefore, the aims of the present retrospective study from a large single centre cohort were to identify the prognostic factors for both 1-year patient and graft survival.

Thymoglobulin induction in liver transplant recipients with a tacrolimus, mycophenolate mofetil, and steroid immunosuppressive regimen: a five-year randomized prospective study.

This randomized, comparative study assessed the long-term efficacy and tolerability of thymoglobulin (TMG) induction in 93 liver transplant patients with an initial regimen of tacrolimus (Tac), mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), and steroids. Forty-four patients were randomly allocated to the TMG+ group, and 49 patients were randomly allocated to the TMG- group. In both groups, Tac was given orally at the initial daily dose of 0.

Transoesophageal echo-Doppler vs. thermodilution cardiac output measurement during hepatic vascular exclusion in liver transplantation.

Background And Objective: Continuous monitoring of cardiac output during liver transplantation is essential to evaluate the patient's haemodynamic tolerance to acute volume variations. The aim of this study was to compare the cardiac output values obtained with a transoesophageal echo-Doppler and those obtained with a continuous thermodilution cardiac output pulmonary artery catheter.

Methods: Twenty adult patients were prospectively studied during a 5 min hepatic vascular exclusion test performed at the end of the dissection phase.

Does middle hepatic vein omission in a right split graft affect the outcome of liver transplantation? A comparative study of right split livers with and without the middle hepatic vein.

Preservation of the middle hepatic vein (MHV) for a right split liver transplantation (SLT) in an adult recipient is still controversial. The aim of this study was to evaluate the graft and patient outcomes after liver transplantation (LT) using a right split graft, according to the type of venous drainage. From February 2000 to May 2006, 33 patients received 34 cadaveric right split liver grafts.