Heterotopic liver transplantation in end-stage HBsAg-positive cirrhosis

A patient with end-stage cirrhosis complicating HBsAg-positive chronic active hepatitis given a heterotopic liver transplant is alive and well 28 months after transplantation; liver function is normal, and there are no hepatitis-B related lesions on the liver graft despite positivity of HBsAg in the serum. This observation confirms that a heterotopic liver graft can offer long-term survival in man and suggests that this technique may be a more suitable procedure than orthotopic transplantation in end-stage cirrhotics.