Routine Liver Elastography Could Predict Actuarial Survival after Liver Transplantation

Transient elastography (TE) has routinely been implemented in the diagnosis and assessment of chronic liver disease. Little data are available in the post liver transplant (LTx) setting.

Three months after LTx, we performed TE in 137 liver transplant recipients and investigated its predictive value upon further clinical outcome. The mean follow-up time for clinical outcome was 24 months.

Mean TE value was 10.6 kPa (± 6.3 kPa; range 2.8 - 29.9 kPa). There was a significant correlation between TE and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (p=0.004), gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) (p=0.031) and bilirubin (p<0.001) serum levels. In Cox univariate analysis, TE served as a predictor of actuarial survival free of liver transplantation (OR=1.111, 95%CI: 1.051-1.174; p<0.001). In multivariate analysis, TE remained an independent risk factor associated with reduced actuarial survival free of liver transplantation (OR=1.080, 95%CI: 1.001-1.166; p=0.047), along with thrombocytes (OR=0.992, 95%CI: 0.986-0.999; p=0.020) and metabolic co-disease (OR = 0.250, 95%CI: 0.070-0.895; p=0.033).

Transient elastography measurement at three months after LTx seems a robust predictor of survival in liver transplant recipients.