The suggestion of mitigating disparity in the liver transplantation field among ABO blood type.

Medical literature highlights differences in liver transplantation (LT) waitlist experiences among ABO blood types. Type AB candidates reportedly have higher LT rates and reduced mortality. Despite liver offering guidelines, ABO disparities persist. This study examines LT access discrepancies among blood types, focusing on type AB, and seeks equitable strategies. Using the United Network for Organ Sharing database (2003-2022), 170 276 waitlist candidates were retrospectively analyzed. Dual predictive analyses (LT opportunity and survival studies) evaluated 1-year recipient pool survival, considering waitlist and post-LT survival, alongside anticipated allocation value per recipient, under 6 scenarios. Of the cohort, 97 670 patients (57.2%) underwent LT. Type AB recipients had the highest LT rate (73.7% vs 55.2% for O), shortest median waiting time (90 vs 198 days for A), and lowest waitlist mortality (12.9% vs 23.9% for O), with the lowest median model for end-stage liver disease-sodium (MELD-Na) score (20 vs 25 for A/O). The LT opportunity study revealed that reallocating type A (or A and O) donors originally for AB recipients to A recipients yielded the greatest reduction in disparities in anticipated value per recipient, from 0.19 (before modification) to 0.08. Meanwhile, the survival study showed that ABO-identical LTs reduced disparity the most (3.5% to 2.8%). Sensitivity analysis confirmed these findings were specific to the MELD-Na score < 30 population, indicating current LT allocation may favor certain blood types. Prioritizing ABO-identical LTs for MELD-Na score < 30 recipients could ensure uniform survival outcomes and mitigate disparities.

Living Donor Liver Transplantation for Hepatocellular Carcinoma Within and Outside Traditional Selection Criteria: A Multicentric North American Experience.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate long-term oncologic outcomes of patients post-living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) within and outside standard transplantation selection criteria and the added value of the incorporation of the New York-California (NYCA) score. BACKGROUND: LDLT offers an opportunity to decrease the liver transplantation waitlist, reduce waitlist mortality, and expand selection criteria for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS: Primary adult LDLT recipients between October 1999 and August 2019 were identified from a multicenter cohort of 12 North American centers. Posttransplantation and recurrence-free survival were evaluated using the Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: Three hundred sixty LDLTs were identified. Patients within Milan criteria (MC) at transplantation had a 1, 5, and 10-year posttransplantation survival of 90.9%, 78.5%, and 64.1% versus outside MC 90.4%, 68.6%, and 57.7% ( P = 0.20), respectively. For patients within the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) criteria, respective posttransplantation survival was 90.6%, 77.8%, and 65.0%, versus outside UCSF 92.1%, 63.8%, and 45.8% ( P = 0.08). Fifty-three (83%) patients classified as outside MC at transplantation would have been classified as either low or acceptable risk with the NYCA score. These patients had a 5-year overall survival of 72.2%. Similarly, 28(80%) patients classified as outside UCSF at transplantation would have been classified as a low or acceptable risk with a 5-year overall survival of 65.3%. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term survival is excellent for patients with HCC undergoing LDLT within and outside selection criteria, exceeding the minimum recommended 5-year rate of 60% proposed by consensus guidelines. The NYCA categorization offers insight into identifying a substantial proportion of patients with HCC outside the MC and the UCSF criteria who still achieve similar post-LDLT outcomes as patients within the criteria.

Continuous Risk Score Predicts Waitlist and Post-transplant Outcomes in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Despite Exception Changes.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Continuous risk-stratification of candidates and urgency-based prioritization have been utilized for liver transplantation (LT) in patients with non-hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in the United States. Instead, for patients with HCC, a dichotomous criterion with exception points is still used. This study evaluated the utility of the hazard associated with LT for HCC (HALT-HCC), an oncological continuous risk score, to stratify waitlist dropout and post-LT outcomes. METHODS: A competing risk model was developed and validated using the UNOS database (2012-2021) through multiple policy changes. The primary outcome was to assess the discrimination ability of waitlist dropouts and LT outcomes. The study focused on the HALT-HCC score, compared with other HCC risk scores. RESULTS: Among 23,858 candidates, 14,646 (59.9%) underwent LT and 5196 (21.8%) dropped out of the waitlist. Higher HALT-HCC scores correlated with increased dropout incidence and lower predicted 5-year overall survival after LT. HALT-HCC demonstrated the highest area under the curve (AUC) values for predicting dropout at various intervals post-listing (0.68 at 6 months, 0.66 at 1 year), with excellent calibration (R2 = 0.95 at 6 months, 0.88 at 1 year). Its accuracy remained stable across policy periods and locoregional therapy applications. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights the predictive capability of the continuous oncological risk score to forecast waitlist dropout and post-LT outcomes in patients with HCC, independent of policy changes. The study advocates integrating continuous scoring systems like HALT-HCC in liver allocation decisions, balancing urgency, organ utility, and survival benefit.

An updated analysis of retransplantation following living donor liver transplantation in the United States: Insights from the latest UNOS database.

There is no recent update on the clinical course of retransplantation (re-LT) after living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) in the US using recent national data. The UNOS database (2002-2023) was used to explore patient characteristics in initial LT, comparing deceased donor liver transplantation (DDLT) and LDLT for graft survival (GS), reasons for graft failure, and GS after re-LT. It assesses waitlist dropout and re-LT likelihood, categorizing re-LT cohort based on time to re-listing as acute or chronic (≤ or > 1 mo). Of 132,323 DDLT and 5955 LDLT initial transplants, 3848 DDLT and 302 LDLT recipients underwent re-LT. Of the 302 re-LT following LDLT, 156 were acute and 146 chronic. Primary nonfunction (PNF) was more common in DDLT, although the difference was not statistically significant (17.4% vs. 14.8% for LDLT; p = 0.52). Vascular complications were significantly higher in LDLT (12.5% vs. 8.3% for DDLT; p < 0.01). Acute re-LT showed a larger difference in primary nonfunction between DDLT and LDLT (49.7% vs. 32.0%; p < 0.01). Status 1 patients were more common in DDLT (51.3% vs. 34.0% in LDLT; p < 0.01). In the acute cohort, Kaplan-Meier curves indicated superior GS after re-LT for initial LDLT recipients in both short-term and long-term ( p = 0.02 and < 0.01, respectively), with no significant difference in the chronic cohort. No significant differences in waitlist dropout were observed, but the initial LDLT group had a higher re-LT likelihood in the acute cohort (sHR 1.40, p < 0.01). A sensitivity analysis focusing on the most recent 10-year cohort revealed trends consistent with the overall study findings. LDLT recipients had better GS in re-LT than DDLT. Despite a higher severity of illness, the DDLT cohort was less likely to undergo re-LT.

Overcoming the hurdles of steatotic grafts in liver transplantation: Insights into survival and prognostic factors.

With increasing metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease, the use of steatotic grafts in liver transplantation (LT) and their impact on postoperative graft survival (GS) needs further exploration. Analyzing adult LT recipient data (2002-2022) from the United Network for Organ Sharing database, outcomes of LT using steatotic (≥30% macrosteatosis) and nonsteatotic donor livers, donors after circulatory death, and standard-risk older donors (age 45-50) were compared. GS predictors were evaluated using Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses. Of the 35,345 LT donors, 8.9% (3,155) were fatty livers. The initial 30-day postoperative period revealed significant challenges with fatty livers, demonstrating inferior GS. However, the GS discrepancy between fatty and nonfatty livers subsided over time ( p = 0.10 at 5 y). Long-term GS outcomes showed comparable or even superior results in fatty livers relative to nonsteatotic livers, conditional on surviving the initial 90 postoperative days ( p = 0.90 at 1 y) or 1 year ( p = 0.03 at 5 y). In the multivariable Cox regression analysis, the high body surface area (BSA) ratio (≥1.1) (HR 1.42, p = 0.02), calculated as donor BSA divided by recipient BSA, long cold ischemic time (≥6.5 h) (HR 1.72, p < 0.01), and recipient medical condition (intensive care unit hospitalization) (HR 2.53, p < 0.01) emerged as significant adverse prognostic factors. Young (<40 y) fatty donors showed a high BSA ratio, diabetes, and intensive care unit hospitalization as significant indicators of a worse prognosis ( p < 0.01). Our study emphasizes the initial postoperative 30-day survival challenge in LT using fatty livers. However, with careful donor-recipient matching, for example, avoiding the use of steatotic donors with long cold ischemic time and high BSA ratios for recipients in the intensive care unit, it is possible to enhance immediate GS, and in a longer time, outcomes comparable to those using nonfatty livers, donors after circulatory death livers, or standard-risk older donors can be anticipated. These novel insights into decision-making criteria for steatotic liver use provide invaluable guidance for clinicians.

Enhancing the usability of older DCD donors through strategic approaches in liver transplantation in the United States.

The use of older donors after circulatory death (DCD) for liver transplantation (LT) has increased over the past decade. This study examined whether outcomes of LT using older DCD (≥50 y) have improved with advancements in surgical/perioperative care and normothermic machine perfusion (NMP) technology. A total of 7602 DCD LT cases from the United Network for Organ Sharing database (2003-2022) were reviewed. The impact of older DCD donors on graft survival was assessed using the Kaplan-Meier and HR analyses. In all, 1447 LT cases (19.0%) involved older DCD donors. Although there was a decrease in their use from 2003 to 2014, a resurgence was noted after 2015 and reached 21.9% of all LTs in the last 4 years (2019-2022). Initially, 90-day and 1-year graft survivals for older DCDs were worse than younger DCDs, but this difference decreased over time and there was no statistical difference after 2015. Similarly, HRs for graft loss in older DCD have recently become insignificant. In older DCD LT, NMP usage has increased recently, especially in cases with extended donor-recipient distances, while the median time from asystole to aortic cross-clamp has decreased. Multivariable Cox regression analyses revealed that in the early phase, asystole to cross-clamp time had the highest HR for graft loss in older DCD LT without NMP, while in the later phases, the cold ischemic time (>5.5 h) was a significant predictor. LT outcomes using older DCD donors have become comparable to those from young DCD donors, with recent HRs for graft loss becoming insignificant. The strategic approach in the recent period could mitigate risks, including managing cold ischemic time (≤5.5 h), reducing asystole to cross-clamp time, and adopting NMP for longer distances. Optimal use of older DCD donors may alleviate the donor shortage.

Update to 'A Contemporary Systematic Review on Liver Transplantation for Unresectable Liver Metastasis of Colorectal Cancer'.

Colorectal cancer is the second most common cause of cancer-related death worldwide, and half of patients present with colorectal liver metastasis (CRLM). Liver transplant (LT) has emerged as a treatment modality for otherwise unresectable CRLM. Since the publication of the Lebeck-Lee systematic review in 2022, additional evidence has come to light supporting LT for CRLM in highly selected patients. This includes reports of >10-year follow-up with over 80% survival rates in low-risk patients. As these updated reports have significantly changed our collective knowledge, this article is intended to serve as an update to the 2022 systematic review to include the most up-to-date evidence on the subject.

Early Onset Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma: Clinical Characteristics, Oncological Outcomes, and Genomic/Transcriptomic Features.

INTRODUCTION: Data on clinical characteristics and disease-specific prognosis among patients with early onset intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) are currently limited. METHODS: Patients undergoing hepatectomy for ICC between 2000 and 2020 were identified by using a multi-institutional database. The association of early (≤50 years) versus typical onset (>50 years) ICC with recurrence-free (RFS) and disease-specific survival (DSS) was assessed in the multi-institutional database and validated in an external cohort. The genomic and transcriptomic profiles of early versus late onset ICC were analyzed by using the Total Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center databases. RESULTS: Among 971 patients undergoing resection for ICC, 22.7% (n = 220) had early-onset ICC. Patients with early-onset ICC had worse 5-year RFS (24.1% vs. 29.7%, p < 0.05) and DSS (36.5% vs. 48.9%, p = 0.03) compared with patients with typical onset ICC despite having earlier T-stage tumors and lower rates of microvascular invasion. In the validation cohort, patients with early-onset ICC had worse 5-year RFS (7.4% vs. 20.5%, p = 0.002) compared with individuals with typical onset ICC. Using the TCGA cohort, 652 and 266 genes were found to be upregulated (including ATP8A2) and downregulated (including UTY and KDM5D) in early versus typical onset ICC, respectively. Genes frequently implicated as oncogenic drivers, including CDKN2A, IDH1, BRAF, and FGFR2 were infrequently mutated in the early-onset ICC patients. CONCLUSIONS: Early-onset ICC has distinct clinical and genomic/transcriptomic features. Morphologic and clinicopathologic characteristics were unable to fully explain differences in outcomes among early versus typical onset ICC patients. The current study offers a preliminary landscape of the molecular features of early-onset ICC.

The Spread Pattern of New Practice in Liver Transplantation in the United States.

BACKGROUND: Introducing new liver transplantation (LT) practices, like unconventional donor use, incurs higher costs, making evaluation of their prognostic justification crucial. This study reexamines the spread pattern of new LT practices and its prognosis across the United States. METHODS: The study investigated the spread pattern of new practices using the UNOS database (2014-2023). Practices included LT for hepatitis B/C (HBV/HCV) nonviremic recipients with viremic donors, LT for COVID-19-positive recipients, and LT using onsite machine perfusion (OMP). One year post-LT patient and graft survival were also evaluated. RESULTS: LTs using HBV/HCV donors were common in the East, while LTs for COVID-19 recipients and those using OMP started predominantly in California, Arizona, Texas, and the Northeast. K-means cluster analysis identified three adoption groups: facilities with rapid, slow, and minimal adoption rates. Rapid adoption occurred mainly in high-volume centers, followed by a gradual increase in middle-volume centers, with little increase in low-volume centers. The current spread patterns did not significantly affect patient survival. Specifically, for LTs with HCV donors or COVID-19 recipients, patient and graft survivals in the rapid-increasing group was comparable to others. In LTs involving OMP, the rapid- or slow-increasing groups tended to have better patient survival (p = 0.05) and significantly improved graft survival rates (p = 0.02). Facilities adopting new practices often overlap across different practices. DISCUSSION: Our analysis revealed three distinct adoption groups across all practices, correlating the adoption aggressiveness with LT volume in centers. Aggressive adoption of new practices did not compromise patient and graft survivals, supporting the current strategy. Understanding historical trends could predict the rise in future LT cases with new practices, aiding in resource distribution.

Chronological and Geographical Variations in the Incidence and Acceptance of COVID-19-Positive Donors and Outcomes Among Abdominal Transplant Patients.

INTRODUCTION: Given the importance of understanding COVID-19-positive donor incidence and acceptance, we characterize chronological and geographic variations in COVID-19 incidence relative to COVID-19-positive donor acceptance. METHODS: Data on deceased donors and recipients of liver and kidney transplants were obtained from the UNOS database between 2020 and 2023. Hierarchical cluster analysis was used to assess trends in COVID-19-positive donor incidence. Posttransplant graft and patient survival were assessed using Kaplan-Meier curves. RESULTS: From among 38 429 deceased donors, 1517 were COVID-19 positive. Fewer kidneys (72.4% vs. 76.5%, p < 0.001) and livers (56.4% vs. 62.0%, p < 0.001) were used from COVID-19-positive donors versus COVID-19-negative donors. Areas characterized by steadily increased COVID-19 donor incidence exhibit the highest transplantation acceptance rates (92.33%), followed by intermediate (84.62%) and rapidly increased (80.00%) COVID-19 incidence areas (p = 0.016). Posttransplant graft and patient survival was comparable among recipients, irrespective of donor COVID-19 status. CONCLUSIONS: Regions experiencing heightened rates of COVID-19-positive donors are associated with decreased acceptance of liver and kidney transplantation. Similar graft and patient survival is noted among recipients, irrespective of donor COVID-19 status. These findings emphasize the need for adaptive practices and unified medical consensus in navigating a dynamic pandemic.

The impact of colonic allograft inclusion on intestinal transplantation outcomes: Results from UNOS/OPTN database analysis.

BACKGROUND: Outcomes of intestinal transplantation with colon allograft (ICTx) remain controversial. We aimed to assess the outcomes of ICTx in comparison to intestinal transplantation without colon (ITx) using the UNOS/OPTN registry database. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 2612 patients who received primary intestinal transplants from 1998 to 2020. The rates of acute rejection (AR) within 6 months after transplant were compared between ICTx and ITx. Risk factors of 6-month AR were examined using logistic regression model by era. Furthermore, conditional graft survival was analyzed to determine long-term outcomes of ICTx. RESULTS: Of 2612 recipients, 506 (19.4%) received ICTx. Graft and patient survival in ICTx recipients were comparable to those in ITx recipients. White ICTx recipients had a higher incidence of AR within 6 months compared to ITx during the entire study period (p = .002), colonic inclusion did not increase the risk of 6-month AR in the past decade. ICTx recipients who experienced 6-month AR had worse graft and patient survival compared to those who did not (p <.001 and p = .004, respectively). Among patients who did not develop 6-month AR, Cox proportional hazard model analysis revealed that colonic inclusion was independently associated with improved conditional graft survival. CONCLUSIONS: In the recent transplant era, colonic inclusion is no longer associated with a heightened risk of 6-month AR and may provide better long-term survival compared to ITx when AR is absent. Risk adjustment for rejection and proper immunosuppressive therapy are crucial to maximize the benefits of colonic inclusion.

LightGBM outperforms other machine learning techniques in predicting graft failure after liver transplantation: Creation of a predictive model through large-scale analysis.

BACKGROUND: The incidence of graft failure following liver transplantation (LTx) is consistent. While traditional risk scores for LTx have limited accuracy, the potential of machine learning (ML) in this area remains uncertain, despite its promise in other transplant domains. This study aims to determine ML's predictive limitations in LTx by replicating methods used in previous heart transplant research. METHODS: This study utilized the UNOS STAR database, selecting 64,384 adult patients who underwent LTx between 2010 and 2020. Gradient boosting models (XGBoost and LightGBM) were used to predict 14, 30, and 90-day graft failure compared to conventional logistic regression model. Models were evaluated using both shuffled and rolling cross-validation (CV) methodologies. Model performance was assessed using the AUC across validation iterations. RESULTS: In a study comparing predictive models for 14-day, 30-day and 90-day graft survival, LightGBM consistently outperformed other models, achieving the highest AUC of.740,.722, and.700 in shuffled CV methods. However, in rolling CV the accuracy of the model declined across every ML algorithm. The analysis revealed influential factors for graft survival prediction across all models, including total bilirubin, medical condition, recipient age, and donor AST, among others. Several features like donor age and recipient diabetes history were important in two out of three models. CONCLUSIONS: LightGBM enhances short-term graft survival predictions post-LTx. However, due to changing medical practices and selection criteria, continuous model evaluation is essential. Future studies should focus on temporal variations, clinical implications, and ensure model transparency for broader medical utility.

The short and long-term prognostic influences of liver grafts with high bilirubin levels at the time of organ recovery.

BACKGROUND: Donors with hyperbilirubinemia are often not utilized for liver transplantation (LT) due to concerns about potential liver dysfunction and graft survival. The potential to mitigate organ shortages using such donors remains unclear. METHODS: This study analyzed adult deceased donor data from the United Network for Organ Sharing database (2002-2022). Hyperbilirubinemia was categorized as high total bilirubin (3.0-5.0 mg/dL) and very high bilirubin (≥5.0 mg/dL) in brain-dead donors. We assessed the impact of donor hyperbilirubinemia on 3-month and 3-year graft survival, comparing these outcomes to donors after circulatory death (DCD). RESULTS: Of 138 622 donors, 3452 (2.5%) had high bilirubin and 1999 (1.4%) had very high bilirubin levels. Utilization rates for normal, high, and very high bilirubin groups were 73.5%, 56.4%, and 29.2%, respectively. No significant differences were found in 3-month and 3-year graft survival between groups. Donors with high bilirubin had superior 3-year graft survival compared to DCD (hazard ratio .83, p = .02). Factors associated with inferior short-term graft survival included recipient medical condition in intensive care unit (ICU) and longer cold ischemic time; factors associated with inferior long-term graft survival included older donor age, recipient medical condition in ICU, older recipient age, and longer cold ischemic time. Donors with ≥10% macrosteatosis in the very high bilirubin group were also associated with worse 3-year graft survival (p = .04). DISCUSSION: The study suggests that despite many grafts with hyperbilirubinemia being non-utilized, acceptable post-LT outcomes can be achieved using donors with hyperbilirubinemia. Careful selection may increase utilization and expand the donor pool without negatively affecting graft outcome.

Effect of the opioid crisis on the liver transplantation donor pool: A national analysis.

BACKGROUND: Over the last decade there has been a surge in overdose deaths due to the opioid crisis. We sought to characterize the temporal change in overdose donor (OD) use in liver transplantation (LT), as well as associated post-LT outcomes, relative to the COVID-19 era. METHODS: LT candidates and donors listed between January 2016 and September 2022 were identified from the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients database. Trends in LT donors and changes related to OD were assessed pre- versus post-COVID-19 (February 2020). RESULTS: Between 2016 and 2022, most counties in the United States experienced an increase in overdose-related deaths (n = 1284, 92.3%) with many counties (n = 458, 32.9%) having more than a doubling in drug overdose deaths. Concurrently, there was an 11.2% increase in overall donors, including a 41.7% increase in the number of donors who died from drug overdose. In pre-COVID-19 overdose was the 4th top mechanism of donor death, while in the post-COVID-19 era, overdose was the 2nd most common cause of donor death. OD was younger (OD: 35 yrs, IQR 29-43 vs. non-OD: 43 yrs, IQR 31-56), had lower body mass index (≥35 kg/cm2, OD: 31.2% vs. non-OD: 33.5%), and was more likely to be HCV+ (OD: 28.9% vs. non-OD: 5.4%) with lower total bilirubin (≥1.1 mg/dL, OD: 12.9% vs. non-OD: 20.1%) (all p < .001). Receipt of an OD was not associated with worse graft survival (HR .94, 95% CI .88-1.01, p = .09). CONCLUSIONS: Opioid deaths markedly increased following the COVID-19 pandemic, substantially altering the LT donor pool in the United States.

Epstein-Barr virus-associated post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorders in pediatric transplantation: A prospective multicenter study in the United States.

BACKGROUND: Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-associated post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorders (PTLD) is the most common malignancy in children after transplant; however, difficulties for early detection may worsen the prognosis. METHODS: The prospective, multicenter, study enrolled 944 children (≤21 years of age). Of these, 872 received liver, heart, kidney, intestinal, or multivisceral transplants in seven US centers between 2014 and 2019 (NCT02182986). In total, 34 pediatric EBV+ PTLD (3.9%) were identified by biopsy. Variables included sex, age, race, ethnicity, transplanted organ, EBV viral load, pre-transplant EBV serology, immunosuppression, response to chemotherapy and rituximab, and histopathological diagnosis. RESULTS: The uni-/multivariable competing risk analyses revealed the combination of EBV-seropositive donor and EBV-naïve recipient (D+R-) was a significant risk factor for PTLD development (sub-hazard ratio: 2.79 [1.34-5.78], p = .006) and EBV DNAemia (2.65 [1.72-4.09], p < .001). Patients with D+R- were significantly more associated with monomorphic/polymorphic PTLD than those with the other combinations (p = .02). Patients with monomorphic/polymorphic PTLD (n = 21) had significantly more EBV DNAemia than non-PTLD patients (p < .001) and an earlier clinical presentation of PTLD than patients with hyperplasias (p < .001), within 6-month post-transplant. Among non-liver transplant recipients, monomorphic/polymorphic PTLD were significantly more frequent than hyperplasias in patients ≥5 years of age at transplant (p = .01). CONCLUSIONS: D+R- is a risk factor for PTLD and EBV DNAemia and associated with the incidence of monomorphic/polymorphic PTLD. Intensive follow-up of EBV viral load within 6-month post-transplant, especially for patients with D+R- and/or non-liver transplant recipients ≥5 years of age at transplant, may help detect monomorphic/polymorphic PTLD early in pediatric transplant.

Landscape of donor cause of death and its impact on liver transplant outcomes: a ten-year analysis from the UNOS database.

BACKGROUND: Cause of death (COD) is a predictor of liver transplant (LT) outcomes independent of donor age, yet has not been recently reappraised. METHODS: Analyzing UNOS database (2013-2022), the study explored COD trends and impacts on one-year post-LT graft survival (GS) and hazard ratios (HR) for graft failure. RESULTS: Of 80,282 brain-death donors, 55,413(69.0%) underwent initial LT. Anoxia became the predominant COD in 2015, increasing from 29.0% in 2013 to 45.1% in 2021, with notable increases in drug intoxication. Survival differences between anoxia and cerebrovascular accidents (CVA) recently became insignificant (P=0.95). Further analysis showed improved GS from intracranial hemorrhage/stroke (previously worse; P<0.01) (P=0.70). HRs for post-1-year graft failure showed reduced significance of CVA (vs.Anoxia) and intracranial hemorrhage/stroke (vs.any other COD) recently. Donors with intracranial hemorrhage/stroke, showing improved survival and HR, were allocated to recipients with lower MELD-Na, contrasting the trend for drug intoxication CODs. DISCUSSION: CVA, traditionally linked with poorer outcomes, shows improved GS and HRs (vs.Anoxia). This could be due to rising drug intoxication cases and the allocation of donors with drug intoxication to recipients with higher MELD-Na, and those with CVA to recipients with lower scores. While COD remains crucial in donor selection, proper matching can mitigate differences among CODs.

Association of Early Bifurcation of Hepatic Artery With Arterial Injury in Right-Sided Living-Donor Hepatectomy: Retrospective Analysis of 500 Cases.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to explore the incidence of early bifurcation of the right hepatic artery (RHA) and the right posterior hepatic artery (RPHA), which is crucial in right lobe graft (RLG) and right posterior sector graft (RPSG) procurement for living-donor liver transplantation. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: Early bifurcation of the hepatic artery tends to induce oversight of one of the bifurcated arteries and its injury in RLG/RPSG procurement. Unrecognizable on conventional 3-dimensional (3-D) images, its significance is underestimated. METHODS: We enrolled 500 patients who underwent preoperative imaging for scheduled surgeries at two major transplant centers. All-in-one 3-D images consisting of the hepatic artery, portal vein, and bile duct were constructed. Early bifurcation of the RHA and the RPHA was defined as the arteries bifurcating proximal to the cutting line of the right hepatic duct and the right posterior duct, respectively. RESULTS: Early bifurcation of the RHA was seen in 11.3% of cases of an infra-portal RPHA and in 46.0% of cases of a supraportal RPHA ( P < 0.001). Early bifurcation of the RPHA was encountered in 35.3% of cases of an infra-portal RPHA, in no cases of a supra-portal RPHA, and in 100% of cases in which the arteries to segment 6/7 arose individually from the RHA. The overall incidence of early bifurcation was 19.9% for RHA and 43.6% for RPHA. CONCLUSIONS: Early bifurcation of the RHA and the RPHA is frequently encountered and requires caution for RLG/RPSG procurement. Special attention should be paid to supraportal RPHA for RLG procurement.

Left Lobe First With Purely Laparoscopic Approach: A Novel Strategy to Maximize Donor Safety in Adult Living Donor Liver Transplantation.

OBJECTIVE: Evaluate outcome of left-lobe graft (LLG) first combined with purely laparoscopic donor hemihepatectomy (PLDH) as a strategy to minimize donor risk. BACKGROUND: An LLG first approach and a PLDH are 2 methods used to reduce surgical stress for donors in adult living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). But the risk associated with application LLG first combined with PLDH is not known. METHODS: From 2012 to 2023, 186 adult LDLTs were performed with hemiliver grafts, procured by open surgery in 95 and PLDH in 91 cases. LLGs were considered first when graft-to-recipient weight ratio ≥0.6%. Following a 4-month adoption process, all donor hepatectomies, since December 2019, were performed laparoscopically. RESULTS: There was one intraoperative conversion to open (1%). Mean operative times were similar in laparoscopic and open cases (366 vs 371 minutes). PLDH provided shorter hospital stays, lower blood loss, and lower peak aspartate aminotransferase. Peak bilirubin was lower in LLG donors compared with right-lobe graft donors (1.4 vs 2.4 mg/dL, P < 0.01), and PLDH further improved the bilirubin levels in LLG donors (1.2 vs 1.6 mg/dL, P < 0.01). PLDH also afforded a low rate of early complications (Clavien-Dindo grade ≥ II, 8% vs 22%, P = 0.007) and late complications, including incisional hernia (0% vs 13.7%, P < 0.001), compared with open cases. LLG was more likely to have a single duct than a right-lobe graft (89% vs 60%, P < 0.01). Importantly, with the aggressive use of LLG in 47% of adult LDLT, favorable graft survival was achieved without any differences between the type of graft and surgical approach. CONCLUSIONS: The LLG first with PLDH approach minimizes surgical stress for donors in adult LDLT without compromising recipient outcomes. This strategy can lighten the burden for living donors, which could help expand the donor pool.

The Impact of a Liver Transplant Program on the Outcomes of Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: We sought to evaluate the impact of liver transplantation (LT) programs on the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients who underwent liver resection (LR) and noncurative intent treatment. BACKGROUND: LT programs have an array of resources and services that would positively affect the prognosis of patients with HCC. METHODS: Patients who underwent LT, LR, radiotherapy (RT), or chemotherapy (CTx) for HCC between 2004 and 2018 were included in the National Cancer Database. Institutions with LT programs were defined as those that performed 1 or more LT for at least 5 years. Centers were stratified by hospital volume. The impact of LT programs was assessed after propensity score matching to achieve covariate balance. RESULTS: A total of 71,735 patients were identified, of which 7997 received LT (11.1%), 12,683 LR (17.7%), 15,675 RT (21.9%), and 35,380 CTx (49.3%). Among a total of 1267 distinct institutions, 94 (7.4%) were categorized as LT programs. Designation as an LT program was also associated with a high volume of LR and noncurative intent treatment (both P <0.001). After propensity score matching, LT programs were associated with better survival among LR and noncurative intent treatment patients. Although hospital volume was also associated with improved prognosis, LT programs were associated with additional survival benefits in noncurative intent treatment. On the other hand, no such benefit was noted in patients who underwent LR. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of an LT program was associated with a higher volume of LR and noncurative intent treatment. Furthermore, designation as an LT program had a "halo effect" on the prognosis of patients undergoing RT/CTx that went beyond the procedure-volume effect.

The High Incidence of Occult Carcinoma in Total Hepatectomy Specimens of Patients Treated for Unresectable Colorectal Liver Metastases With Liver Transplant.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the rate of occult carcinoma deposits in total hepatectomy specimens from patients treated with liver transplant (LT) for colorectal liver metastases (CRLM). BACKGROUND: Previous studies have shown that patients with CRLM treated with systemic therapy demonstrate a high rate of complete radiographic response or may have disappearing liver metastases. However, this does not necessarily translate into a complete pathologic response, and residual invasive cancer may be found in up to 80% of the disappearing tumors after resection. METHODS: Retrospective review of 14 patients who underwent LT for CRLM, at 2 centers. Radiographic and pathologic correlation of the number of tumors and their viability before and after LT was performed. RESULTS: The median (interquartile range) number of tumors at diagnosis was 11 (4-23). The median number of chemotherapy cycles was 24 (16-37). Hepatic artery infusion was used in 5 patients (35.7%); 6 (42.9%) underwent surgical resection, and 5 (35.7%) received locoregional therapy. The indication for LT was unresectability in 8 patients (57.1%) and liver failure secondary to oncologic treatment in the remaining 6 (42.9%). Before LT, 7 patients (50%) demonstrated fluorodeoxyglucose-avid tumors and 7 (50%) had a complete radiographic response. Histopathologically, 11 patients (78.6%) had a viable tumor. Nine (64.2%) of the 14 patients were found to have undiagnosed metastases on explant pathology, with at least 22 unaccounted viable tumors before LT. Furthermore, 4 (57.1%) of the 7 patients who demonstrated complete radiographic response harbored viable carcinoma on explant pathology. CONCLUSIONS: A complete radiographic response does not reliably predict a complete pathologic response. In patients with unresectable CRLM, total hepatectomy and LT represent a promising treatment options to prevent indolent disease progression from disappearing CRLM.