Abstract
As of December 31, 2013, a total of 7,474 liver transplants have been performed at 66 institutions in Japan. This total included 7,255 living-donor transplants and 219 cadaveric-donor transplants (216 from heart-beating donors and 3 from non-heart-beating donors). The annual total of liver transplants in 2013 decreased to 408, from 422, in 2012. The number of liver transplants from living donors decreased to 369, from 381, whereas the number of liver transplants from heart-beating cadaveric donors did not change significantly. The most frequent indication was cholestatic disease, followed by neoplastic disease. As for the graft liver in living-donor cases, a right-lobe graft was the most popular (36%). Patient survival following transplantations from heart-beating donors (1 year, 85.9%; 3 years, 82.6%; 5 years, 81.3%; 10 years, 73.8%) was similar to those from living donors (1 year, 83.8%; 3 years, 79.6%; 5 years, 77.1%; 10 years, 71.9%; 15 years, 67.8%; 20 years, 66.1%). Graft survival was very much the same as patient survival. As for ABO-incompatible transplantation, new strategies, including portal vein infusion and rituximab prophylaxis, have been improving prognoses in adults as well as in children older than 3 years.
