Immunosuppression withdrawal after auxiliary liver transplantation for acute liver failure

The potential for immunosuppression withdrawal is the rationale for auxiliary liver transplantation (AUX) in patients with acute liver failure (ALF).

Forty-four AUX were performed in 28 adults and 16 children with ALF secondary to seronegative hepatitis (n = 20; 45%), paracetamol hepatotoxicity (n = 14; 32%), acute viral hepatitis (hepatitis B virus [HBV] n = 3, Epstein-Barr virus n = 1; 9%), drug-induced hepatitis (n = 3; 7%), autoimmune hepatitis (n = 2; 5%), and mushroom poisoning (n = 1; 2%). All patients fulfilled the King's College Hospital transplant criteria for ALF. After partial hepatectomy, 38 patients received a segmental auxiliary graft and six, a whole auxiliary graft. Immunosuppression was based on calcineurin inhibitors and steroids.

Thirty-four patients (77%) are alive after a median follow-up of 30 months (range 4 to 124). Eight adults and two children died of sepsis (n = 6; 14%) at a median interval of 30 days (range 2 to 66), intraoperative cardiac failure (n = 1), brain edema on postoperative day 8 (n = 1), sudden death on day 35 (n = 1), and multiple organ failure associated with HBV recurrence 4 years after transplantation (n = 1). Three patients underwent retransplantation for small-for-size graft syndrome with sepsis on postoperative day 15 (n = 1) and for ductopenic rejection 4 and 15 months after AUX (n = 2). In 10/31 (32%) survivors (6/18 adults and 4/13 children) immunosuppression was completely withdrawn after a median of 19 months.

Complete immunosuppression withdrawal can be achieved in a significant proportion of patients after AUX for ALF.