Preoperative vascular evaluation in living donor liver transplantation for biliary atresia

Liver transplantation is an important treatment option in the management of end-stage liver disease. Preoperative vascular evaluation plays an important role for a safe and successful operation, especially in pediatric patients undergoing living donor liver transplantation (LDLT).

The purpose of this study is to assess the usefulness and accuracy of Doppler ultrasound (US), computed tomographic angiography (CTA), and magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) in evaluating vascular anomalies in patients with biliary atresia (BA) undergoing LDLT.

Images of Doppler US, CTA, and MRA for preoperative vascular evaluation in 55 patients with BA undergoing LDLT were reviewed with the operative findings.

All patients underwent preoperative US, CTA, and MRA. Pathologic portal vein (n = 18), interruption of the retrohepatic vena cava (n = 1), and aberrant right hepatic artery from the superior mesenteric artery (n = 2) were confirmed during the transplantation. The success rates of CTA and MRA in identifying vascular anomalies were 96% and 82%, respectively (P = .01). The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of Doppler US were 89%, 94%, and 92%, respectively. For CTA, it was 94%, 97%, and 96%, respectively; for MRA (including technical failure), it was 75%, 97%, and 89%, respectively.

Doppler US serves as an initial assessment for vascular evaluation and has the advantage in determining vascular flow quantities. CTA and MRA are used for precise surgical planning. However, MRA has lower success and accuracy rates when compared with CTA (P = .01). Doppler US with CTA can provide accurate preoperative vascular imaging in patients with BA undergoing LDLT.