Circulating cell-free DNA in liver transplantation: A pre- and post-transplant biomarker of graft dysfunction.

Background: Liver transplantation (LT) is still limited by organ shortage and post-transplant monitoring issues. While machine perfusion techniques allow for improving organ preservation, biomarkers like donor-derived cell-free DNA (dd-cfDNA) and mitochondrial cfDNA (mt-cfDNA) may provide insights into graft injury and viability pre- and post-LT.

Methods: A prospective observational cohort study was conducted on LT recipients (n = 45) to evaluate dd-cfDNA as a biomarker of graft dysfunction during the first 6 months after LT.

Viability assessment of livers donated after circulatory determination of death during normothermic regional perfusion.

Background: Abdominal normothermic regional perfusion (A-NRP) allows in-situ reperfusion and recovery of abdominal organs metabolism in donors after circulatory death (DCD). Besides improving liver transplantation outcomes, liver injury and function can be assessed during A-NRP.

Methods: To refine liver viability assessment during A-NRP, prospectively collected data of controlled DCD donors managed at our Institution between October 2019 and May 2022 were retrospectively analyzed.

The frequency of rare and monogenic diseases in pediatric organ transplant recipients in Italy.

Background: Rare diseases are chronic and life-threatening disorders affecting < 1 person every 2,000. For most of them, clinical symptoms and signs can be observed at birth or childhood. Approximately 80% of all rare diseases have a genetic background and most of them are monogenic conditions.

The value of a combined radiological-surgical approach in allowing curative resection of a locally advanced type IIIa Klatskin tumor.

We report the case of a 53-year-old patient subjected to percutaneous embolization of right and middle hepatic veins to induce liver segments 2-3 hypertrophy before extended right hepatic resection for a locally advanced type IIIa perihilar cholangiocarcinoma. Hepatic vein embolization (HVE) was performed 3 weeks after surgical recanalization of left portal vein (severely narrowed at its origin due to tumor infiltration) interposing an internal jugular vein graft between main and distal left portal vein. Nine days after HVE, future liver remnant volume increased from 395 to 501 cc, i.