Domino liver transplantation: risks and benefits

Domino liver transplantation, wherein a patient who himself undergoes liver transplantation in turn donates his liver to another recipient, has been performed since the mid-1990 s. Although livers from a handful of metabolic disorders cured by liver transplantation have been used for domino transplantation, familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy (FAP) livers are by far the most common source. FAP is an inherited disorder never presenting its clinical manifestation before the age of 15. In many carriers, the genetic disorder never manifests during lifetime. Thus, only a proportion of patients with FAP develop disease symptoms, which has been the rationale for using such livers for other patients on the waiting list for liver transplantation. According to the Familial Amyloidotic Polyneuropathy World Transplant Registry (FAPWTR), only 2 out of more than 500 patients so far have developed symptoms after domino liver transplantation using an FAP liver. Domino recipients with nonmalignant indications for liver transplantation show excellent long-term survivals. With careful selection of recipients, the procedure helps to reduce the organ shortage and the time on the waiting list for patients with malignant disorders.