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Updated: Jul 6, 2026
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Porcine Liver Transplantation Without Veno-Venous Bypass As an Extended Criteria Donor Model
Published on: August 17, 2022
Split liver transplantation.
D C Broering1, J Schulte am Esch, L Fischer
1Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery and Transplantation, University of Hamburg, Germany.
Summary
Split liver transplantation increases organ availability, reducing waitlist deaths for children. Two main techniques offer comparable results to whole organ transplants for both pediatric and adult recipients.
Area of Science:
- Hepatobiliary Surgery
- Transplantation Medicine
Background:
- Split liver transplantation is a strategy to increase cadaveric liver graft availability.
- It has significantly reduced pediatric liver transplant waitlist mortality over the past decade.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the anatomical and technical aspects of liver splitting.
- To summarize the clinical experience of two primary split liver transplantation approaches.
Main Methods:
- Review of two main liver splitting techniques: left lateral/right extended grafts and full right/full left hemi-grafts.
- Analysis of outcomes for pediatric and adult recipients based on graft type.
Main Results:
- Left lateral/right extended splitting yields results comparable to whole organ transplantation for both pediatric and adult recipients.
- Full right/full left splitting expands the adult liver graft pool but requires advanced surgical expertise and knowledge of anatomical variations.
Conclusions:
- Split liver transplantation is effective in increasing graft availability and improving outcomes for pediatric and adult patients.
- Centers performing split liver transplantation for two adults should have high transplant volumes and expertise in hepatobiliary surgery.
