First Series of Living Donor Liver Retransplants From India: Challenges and Outcomes

There is a paucity of Indian data on long-term survival after living donor liver transplant (LDLT) or the need for retransplant (re-LT). In this article, we report the first series of retransplants from India with focus on indications, technical challenges and results.

A retrospective study on 29 patients undergoing a liver retransplant (re-LT) was analysed with respect to survival outcomes and postoperative complications. Patients were divided into early and late retransplant groups based on whether re-LT was performed within or beyond 30 days of primary transplant.

Liver retransplant was performed in 29 (0.81%) patients out of a total of 3563 liver transplants (28 living donor and one deceased donor liver transplant). The primary transplant was an LDLT in 27 (93%) patients. Retransplant was performed at a median of 26 days after the first transplant. Re-LT was performed early (within 30 days) in 17 (59%) patients and late (beyond 30 days) in 12 (41%). Hepatic artery thrombosis (53%) and early graft dysfunction (47%) were the indications for early retransplant, while biliary complications (50%) and chronic rejection (33%) were primary indications for late retransplant. Postretransplant complications occurred in 22 (75%) patients, the commonest being gram-negative bacterial sepsis. The 30-day mortality after retransplant was 27% (8/29). The primary cause of mortality was gram-negative septicaemia. The mortality in the late retransplant group (2, 16.6%) was lower than in the early retransplant group (6, 35%).

Retransplant using living donors is a viable option in properly selected patients with prior LDLT.