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Updated: May 31, 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
E Nesher1, E Island, P Tryphonopoulos
1Division of Transplantation, Department of Surgery, University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, Florida 33136, USA. eviatar.nesher@gmail.com
Transplantation Proceedings
|June 23, 2011
Summary
Split liver transplantation offers a viable solution for expanding the donor pool, significantly reducing waitlist mortality for both adult and pediatric patients needing a liver transplant.
Area of Science:
- Hepatology
- Transplantation Surgery
- Pediatric Surgery
Background:
- Liver transplantation is a life-saving procedure for end-stage liver disease.
- Organ donor shortages present a significant challenge in meeting the demand for liver transplants.
- Split liver transplantation utilizes one donor liver for two recipients, maximizing organ utilization.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the outcomes of split liver transplantation in a mixed adult and pediatric cohort.
- To assess patient and graft survival rates in split liver transplant recipients.
- To determine the efficacy of split liver transplantation in expanding the donor pool and reducing waitlist mortality.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 55 patients (30 adults, 25 children) who underwent split liver transplantation between September 1996 and December 2008.
- Median follow-up duration of 12 years.
- Analysis of patient and graft survival, retransplantation rates, and complications.
Main Results:
- Overall patient survival was 71% (adult 70%, pediatric 72%) with a median follow-up of 12 years.
- Mean patient survival was 61.58 months and mean graft survival was 44.35 months.
- Twelve patients (21.8%) required retransplantation due to primary nonfunction, chronic rejection, or vascular complications.
Conclusions:
- Split liver transplantation is an effective strategy to increase the availability of donor livers for both adult and pediatric recipients.
- This technique demonstrates favorable survival rates and can significantly mitigate waiting list mortality, particularly for patients with specific blood groups.
- Split liver transplantation represents a valuable approach to optimize organ utilization in liver transplantation programs.

