Imaging in pediatric liver transplantation.

ABSTRACT

Liver transplantation is an accepted and successful mode of treatment for pediatric end-stage liver disease. On the basis of a review of 229 liver transplantations in 185 children, the authors describe the imaging findings of the preoperative evaluation, the uncomplicated transplantation, various postoperative complications, and the suggested percutaneous treatment of some of these complications. The most frequent indications for liver transplantation encountered in this review were biliary atresia (52%), acute fulminant hepatic failure (11%), alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency (9%), cryptogenic cirrhosis (6%), and chronic active hepatitis (4%). (The remaining 18% were various rare indications, representing < 4% each.) Routine Doppler ultrasound is the modality of choice for the screening of postoperative complications, supplemented with computed tomography, hepatobiliary scintigraphy, and cholangiography or angiography as needed. Familiarity with the normal graft appearance, as influenced by various surgical and technical factors, and knowledge of the underlying condition of the patient and the clinical course of postoperative complications are crucial for a correct interpretation of the findings from imaging studies.