Living donor liver transplantation in biliary atresia children with pulmonary hypertension

Abstract

Objective: Though living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) is commonly performed for pediatric patients with biliary atresia (BA), pulmonary hypertension (PH) is seldom encountered or reported previously. The aim of this study is mainly to identify the prevalence of PH in pediatric patients undergoing liver transplantation and assess whether PH significantly augment the operative risk and evaluate the outcomes in this series of patients. Design: Retrospectively cohort study. Setting: Renji hospital, Shanghai, China. Participants: This study comprised 161 pediatric patients undergoing LDLT. Interventions: Patient diagnosed of PH in preoperative examination was compared to those without PH in intra-or post-operative complications or outcomes. Measurements and Main Results: We collected clinical records of LDLT surgery for pediatric patients during the year of 2016 in our hospital. Results suggested that pediatric patients undergoing LDLT had a substantial number of PH with a prevalence of 16.1% in this study. No significant difference was identified between two groups of patients regarding intraoperative outcomes and postoperative complications and mortality. Conclusion: LDLT is a safe procedure in a selected group of BA patients with PH, however, further long-term clinical investigations and mechanical researches are needed.