Understanding the Elevated Lethality of COVID-19 in Liver Transplant Recipients: Does Immunosuppression Management Matter? Results from a Brazilian Multicentric Historical Cohort.

Background: Infections by SARS-CoV-2 in liver transplant recipients (LT) patients are of particular concern, notably due to perceived added risks related to immunosuppression and comorbidity burden. Current literature on this topic often relies on small, non-standardized, and geographically limited studies. This manuscript describes COVID-19 presentations and causes for elevated mortality in a large cohort of LT recipients.

Renal autotransplantation to treat renal artery aneurysm: case report.

Context: Renal artery aneurysm (RAA) is uncommon and usually asymptomatic, but complications like rupture or thromboembolism of the aneurysm can occur, with consequent renal infarction. Most of the clinical findings are found incidentally through imaging examinations, in investigating other diseases. Renal autotransplantation (RAT) is an alternative treatment for complex RAA, with satisfactory results described in the literature.

Liver transplantation for neotropical polycystic echinococcosis caused by Echinococcus vogeli: a case report.

Neotropical polycystic echinococcosis (NPE) is a parasitic disease caused by cestodes of Echinococcus vogeli. This parasite grows most commonly in the liver, where it produces multiples cysts that cause hepatic and vessel necrosis, infects the biliary ducts, and disseminates into the peritoneal cavity, spreading to other abdominal and thoracic organs. In cases of disseminated disease in the liver and involvement of biliary ducts or portal system, liver transplantation may be a favorable option.

Expanding postmortem donor pool using steatotic liver grafts: a new look.

Background: Clinical demand for liver transplant steadily grows while organs offer has reached a plateau years ago. To expand the donor liver pool, various options have been considered including acceptance of suboptimal donors and steatotic grafts, with a risk of poorer outcomes. The latter risk and its relation to the grade of liver graft steatosis have been studied in this prospective clinical study.

Worth continuing doing ex situ liver graft splitting? A single-center analysis.

Grafts for split liver transplantation can be prepared in situ during the retrieval operation, or ex situ on the back table. The in situ technique has theoretical advantages because it minimizes the cold ischemic time and allows excellent hemostasis at the cut surface. However, in situ liver division prolongs the retrieval procedure, may precipitate hemodynamic instability in the donor, and may cause logistical difficulties for some centers.

Ex situ preparation of left split-liver grafts with left vascular pedicle only: is it safe? A comparative single-center study.

The procurement of left-lateral-segment grafts from living donors for transplantation in children is performed by retaining only the left branches of the artery and veins. New techniques and the implementation of microsurgery in the transplant operation made this procedure a successful approach. However, controversy persists about using such an approach for division of liver grafts from cadaveric donors, and many teams prefer retaining the main arterial trunk with the left split graft, with or without the main portal vein trunk.

Hepatic vein reconstruction in ex situ split-liver transplantation.

Background: Anatomy of the left hepatic vein (LHV) was studied in a series of 53 consecutive cadaveric liver grafts that were divided for transplantation.

Methods: All divisions were performed ex situ and provided a left split graft with only the LHV as the hepatic outflow. The anatomy was categorized into three types: (A) single LHV trunk, (B) two veins closely merging toward the median hepatic vein, or (C) a double outflow.