Extravascular complications following abdominal organ transplantation

Area of Science:

• Abdominal transplantation
• Radiology
• Post-transplant complications

Background:

• Abdominal transplants (liver, kidney, pancreas, bowel, multivisceral) are common.
• Imaging is vital for graft surveillance and detecting post-transplant complications.
• Image-guided interventions can be life-saving, but this review focuses on extravascular issues.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review common post-transplant complications that are primarily extravascular in location.
• To familiarize radiologists with the imaging appearances of these complications.
• To emphasize the impact of accurate diagnosis and treatment on graft and patient survival.

Main Methods:

• Literature review focusing on extravascular complications.
• Discussion of imaging findings for various post-transplant issues.
• Synthesis of information on biliary, urological, intestinal, malignancy, and infection complications.

Main Results:

• Post-transplant complications are common and can be extravascular.
• Key extravascular complications include biliary, urological, and intestinal issues.
• Infections, malignancy, and miscellaneous complications also occur post-transplant.

Conclusions:

• Radiologists must be familiar with the imaging spectrum of extravascular post-transplant complications.
• Accurate and timely diagnosis through imaging is essential for effective management.
• Improved diagnostic accuracy directly impacts graft and patient survival rates.