Clinical experience with13cases of orthotopic liver transplantation

Objective To review our experience with orthotopic liver transplantation. Methods Thirteen liver transplantation were performed in 12 patients (including one liver retransplantation), of whom 5 patients received the transplantation for end stage liver cirrhosis, 4 for primary liver carcinoma, 1 for liver failure after hepatectomy for liver cancer, 1 for Wilson's disease, and 1 for chronic renal failure and liver cirrhosis. Retransplantation was done in 1 patient for chronic graft rejection. Of the 13 operations, 10 underwent the classical procedures of orthotopic liver transplantation, while 2 adopted modified piggyback technique, with 1 of the patients receiving retransplantation. Results Nine patients survived the transplantation with the longest survival over 2 years. Four patients died in the perioperative period, due to intracerebral bleeding, adult respiratory distress syndrome, acute renal failure and hepatic artery thrombus, respectively. Conclusions Liver transplantation is an effective treatment for various end-stage liver diseases. Strict patient selection, appropriate timing of the operation and proper perioperative care are all essential for the success of liver transplantation.