An Inadequate Blood Supply Is a Risk Factor of Anastomotic Biliary Strictures After Liver Transplantation-A...

Background: Anastomotic biliary strictures (BSs) are among the most common complications after liver transplantation (LT), accounting for 5-15% of adult recipients after deceased-donor transplantation. For some reason, this percentage increased in our center in recent years, and the goal of this study was to find out the reasons behind this to avoid this complication in the future. Material and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the occurrence of anastomotic biliary strictures in 230 cadaveric-donor LTs performed in our center between January 2019 and December 2023. Many variables related to the donor, recipient, and surgical procedure were compared between patients who experienced BS and those without this complication. Statistical analysis was performed using Fisher's exact test, a one-way ANOVA test, and Pearson's correlation coefficient. Results: Altogether, 51 patients (22.17%) developed BSs. This percentage was especially high in 2023 (32%). The only significant differences found in study group compared to the control group were the requirement of additional doses of vasopressors during surgery (45 (86.53%) vs. 138 (77.09%), p = 0.0001) and more frequent instances of reperfusion syndrome (8/51 (15.68%) vs. 11/179 (6.11%), p = 0.00001). Conclusions: We conclude that ischemia during LT has an advantage over technical parameters in the development of BSs after LT. Appropriate blood volume resuscitation as opposed to inotropic treatment may reduce the risk of this complication.