How to do liver transplantation using liver allografts with damaged supra-hepatic inferior vena cava

Area of Science:

• Organ transplantation
• Surgical innovation
• Vascular reconstruction

Background:

• Procurement teams sometimes damage the supra-hepatic inferior vena cava (IVC) during organ harvesting.
• This damage can make liver allografts unsuitable for transplantation due to inadequate length for anastomosis.
• Discarding viable liver grafts represents a significant loss of transplantable organs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe a technique for reconstructing the supra-hepatic IVC in liver allografts.
• To salvage liver grafts with compromised supra-hepatic IVC length.
• To reduce the discard rate of liver allografts due to vascular anomalies.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing a segment of the infra-hepatic inferior vena cava (IVC) from the liver graft.
• Performing a reconstruction of the damaged supra-hepatic IVC using the harvested infra-hepatic IVC segment.
• Ensuring adequate length for successful anastomosis with the recipient's vasculature.

Main Results:

• Successful reconstruction of the supra-hepatic IVC was achieved.
• The technique allowed for the successful transplantation of previously unsuitable liver allografts.
• Demonstrated the viability of using infra-hepatic IVC segments for supra-hepatic IVC repair.

Conclusions:

• This reconstructive technique offers a viable solution for managing damaged supra-hepatic IVCs in liver allografts.
• Salvaging these grafts increases the availability of organs for liver transplantation.
• Highlights the importance of innovative surgical approaches in organ procurement and transplantation.