Interventional Radiology for Anastomotic Stenosis of Hepatic Vein after Living Donor Liver Transplantation

Abstract

In Japan, living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) has been widely performed for patients with end-stage liver disease because of graft shortage. The rates of vascular complications in LDLT are higher than those in orthotopic liver transplantation because of the technical difficulty of anastomosis of short pedicles. Anastomotic stenosis of hepatic vein (HV) is an uncommon complication, but it might lead to graft failure if appropriate management is not performed. Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) is believed to be non-invasive and effective for anastomotic stenosis, and now it is the first-line treatment. We have performed PTA with/without stent placement for anastomotic stenosis of HV since 1997. In this study, strategies of diagnosis, procedures of PTA with/without stent placement, outcomes, complications, and long-term patency were described.