Endoscopic management of biliary obstruction after successful reuse of a liver graft
Peter Olschewski1, Panagiotis Fikatas, Johann Pratschke
1Clinic for General, Visceral and Transplantation Surgery, Charité Campus Virchow-Klinikum, University Medicine, Berlin, Germany. peter.olschewski@charite.de
Abstract:
The widening gap between donated organs and potential recipients waiting for liver transplantation leads towards intensive efforts to increase the availability of liver grafts. This aim can be accomplished by using organs with extended criteria for acceptance like advanced age, steatosis or donation after cardiac death with prolonged warm ischemic time. Far less frequently, but also worthwhile considering as a valuable source for donor organs is the possibility to reuse organs in case of brain death after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). In this case the first organ recipient has to be evaluated to become a potential organ donor for a second recipient.
In our study we report on a case in which we reused a liver graft 24 hours after the first transplantation and present the successful endoscopic management of biliary obstruction.
