[Pediatric liver transplant program at Hospital Infantil de Mexico Federico Gomez]. / Programa de trasplante hepático pediátrico en el Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez.

This article reports the experience of the largest pediatric liver transplant (LT) program in México. Between June 1998 and May 2011, 76 LT were performed in 74 recipients, including 80% cadaveric-whole organ grafts and 20% segmental grafts, 12% of those coming from live donors and 8% from cadaver reduced donors. The most common indication for LT was biliary atresia (43%), followed by metabolic disorders (13%) and fulminant hepatitis (12%). Most of the recipients were infants or toddlers weighing <15 kg (age range 0.7-17.2 years, weight range 6.5-66 kg), 73% had moderate to severe malnutrition and 72% had multiples surgeries previous to LT. There were 9 cases of hepatic artery thrombosis (11.8%) and 2 portal vein thrombosis (2.6%), however, 8 of these 10 grafts were rescued with early thrombectomy and reanastomosis. All biliary complications (19 cases, 25%) were solved with medical or surgical interventions and did not cause any graft loss. Acute cellular rejection (30 cases, 39%) required thymoglobulin in only 3 cases and chronic rejection (4 cases, 5%) has been retransplanted in 2 cases. CMV infection or reactivation occurred in 30% of cases and easily responded to preemptive therapy. Nine recipients developed postLT neoplasias (7 post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorders, one multivisceral Kaposi sarcoma and one systemic smooth muscle tumor). Five of them responded to decreasing or discontinuing immunosuppression, and 2 are completely tolerant to the graft. The one and five-year patient survival for those LT performed during 2001-2011 was 85 and 75%. The first successful live donor LT in the country was performed in 2001 at this program, as was the first simultaneous liver-kidney transplant in a child. This is the largest and most successful pediatric LT series in the country. Our results demonstrate that pediatric LT is a feasible undertaking in Mexico, with survival rates similar to those of foreign centers.

Trasplante hepático en niños / Pediatric liver transplantation

Pediatric liver transplantation has evolved over the last two decades into an effective and widely accepted therapy for infants and children. Currently, these high-risk patients achieve 85 to 90% one-year patient survival and an excellent quality of life. This paper reviews the special features of the pediatric recipient, the surgical innovations developed to be able to offer them a transplant (reduced size, live donor, split, and auxiliary partial transplantation), the most significant issues in anesthetic, immunosuppressive and postoperative care in children, as well as a global picture of the results. Additionally, the experience of the Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez is presented, as the largest and most successful series of pediatric liver transplantation in the country, where the first successful live donor liver transplantation and the first simultaneous liver-kidney transplantation in a child were performed.

El trasplante hepático pediátrico ha evolucionado durante las últimas dos décadas, hasta convertirse en una terapia efectiva y ampliamente aceptada para tratar lactantes y niños. Estos pacientes, considerados de alto riesgo, actualmente logran tasas de sobrevida actuarial al año cercanas a 85-90%, con una excelente calidad de vida después del trasplante. Este artículo revisa las particularidades del receptor pediátrico, las innovaciones quirúrgicas que se desarrollaron para poderles ofrecer un trasplante (trasplante reducido, de donador vivo, dividido o "split" y auxiliar parcial), los puntos más importantes del manejo anestésico, inmunosupresión y cuidados postrasplante en niños, y un panorama de los resultados actuales a nivel mundial. Se presenta además la experiencia del Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez, que cuenta con la serie de trasplante hepático en niños más grande y con mejores resultados del país, el primer trasplante de hígado de donador vivo con éxito y el primer trasplante hepático-renal simultáneo en un niño en México.

[Pediatric liver transplantation]. / Trasplante hepático en niños.

Pediatric liver transplantation has evolved over the last two decades into an effective and widely accepted therapy for infants and children. Currently, these high-risk patients achieve 85 to 90% one-year patient survival and an excellent quality of life. This paper reviews the special features of the pediatric recipient, the surgical innovations developed to be able to offer them a transplant (reduced size, live donor, split, and auxiliary partial transplantation), the most significant issues in anesthetic, immunosuppressive and postoperative care in children, as well as a global picture of the results. Additionally, the experience of the Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez is presented, as the largest and most successful series of pediatric liver transplantation in the country, where the first successful live donor liver transplantation and the first simultaneous liver-kidney transplantation in a child were performed.