EFFLUENT LEVELS OF THROMBOMODULIN PREDICT EARLY GRAFT FUNCTION IN CLINICAL LIVER-TRANSPLANTATION

Thrombomodulin is a surface protein on vascular endothelial cells that serves as a binding site for thrombin and plays an important role as an anticoagulant factor. We correlated plasma thrombomodulin levels wi th early graft function after liver transplant in 58 recipients. Blood samples were collected at the following time points: before surgery, just before reperfusion, 30, 60, 120 min after reperfusion, and post-o perative day 1. The first and last 20 cc of caval effluent were also c ollected, Plasma thrombomodulin levels were measured by a sandwich enz yme-binding assay in the blood samples; tissue expression was determin ed by immunohistochemistry. Poor early graft function was defined as p eak aspartate aminotransferase (AST) or alanine aminotransferase (ALT) >2500 U/l during the first 3 post-operative days and prothrombin time >16 s on post-operative day 2. Thrombomodulin levels in the first 20 cc of caval effluent ranged from 1.33 to 91 FU/ml and showed a signifi cant positive correlation with ischemic time, intra-operative blood tr ansfusion requirement, and early graft function. In grafts with high e ffluent thrombomodulin (>20 FU/ml, n=12), the incidence of poor early graft function and primary nonfunction was 66.7% and 25.0%, respective ly; in grafts with low effluent thrombomodulin (<20 FU/ml, n=46), graf t function was not impaired. By immunohistochemistry, thrombomodulin w as detected in large vessels of every donor liver. Sinusoidal cells, h owever, showed positive staining only in livers with poor early graft function. Effluent thrombomodulin levels reflect the extent of preserv ation injury and might be a useful marker for predicting graft functio n after liver transplantation.