Liver transplantation: review of the literature. Part 3: Medical complications.

ABSTRACT

The first attempted human orthotopic liver transplantation, in 1963, involved a child with biliary atresia, who died on the operating table as a result of uncontrollable coagulopathy. Improvements in immunosuppression, surgical technique, medical imaging and postoperative care, as well as more stringent patient selection, have allowed the development of liver transplantation and its universal acceptance as the treatment for a variety of liver diseases. The radiologist plays a major role in the multidisciplinary transplantation team and must be familiar with each stage of orthotopic liver transplantation and its associated complications. In the first article of this series (Can Assoc Radiol J 1997;48[3] 171-178), the authors reviewed the anatomic features and current concepts relevant to orthotopic liver transplantation. In the second article (Can Assoc Radiol J 1997;48[4] 231-242), they discussed the vascular and biliary complications of the operation. This, the third and final article in the series, covers the medical complications.