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Updated: Dec 14, 2025
Re-Arterialized Rat Partial Liver Transplantation with an in vivo Vessel-Oriented 70% Hepatectomy
Published on: April 8, 2018
Hepatic artery reconstruction in pediatric liver transplantation: Experience from a single group
Ming-Xuan Feng1, Jia-Xu Zhang1, Ping Wan1
1Department of Liver Surgery, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200000, China.
Background:
The reconstruction of hepatic artery is a challenging part of the pediatric liver transplantation procedure. Hepatic artery thrombosis (HAT) and stenosis are complications which may result in ischemic biliary injury, causing early graft lost and even death.
Methods:
Two hundred and fifty-nine patients underwent liver transplantation in 2017 in a single liver transplantation group. Among them, 225 patients were living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) and 34 deceased donor liver transplantation (DDLT).
Results:
In LDLT all reconstructions of hepatic artery were microsurgical, while in DDLT either microsurgical reconstruction or traditional continuous suture technique was done depending on different conditions. There were five (1.9%) HATs: four (4/34, 11.8%) in DDLT (all whole liver grafts) and one (1/225, 0.4%) in LDLT (P = 0.001). Four HATs were managed conservatively using anticoagulation, and 1 accepted salvage surgery with re-anastomosis. Until now, 3 HAT patients remain in good condition, whereas two developed biliary complications. One of them needed to be re-transplanted, and the other patient died due to biliary complications.
Conclusions:
Microsurgical technique significantly improves the reconstruction of hepatic artery in pediatric liver transplantation. The risk for arterial complications is higher in DDLT. Conservative therapy can achieve good outcome in selected HAT cases.
