SINGLE-CENTER EXPERIENCE IN ADULT AND PED IATRIC LIVER-TRANSPLANTATION

Orthotopic liver transplantation (THO) is the treatment of choice for a variety of liver diseases. The national experience before 1993 has b een scarce. In November 1993 we started our experience in THO at Clini ca Las Condes, as part if a multiorgan transplant program (liver, kidn ey, pancreas). Until January 1995 we have performed 14 THO in 13 recip ients (one retransplantation), of which 5 were in pediatric cases. The recipients range of age fluctuated between 1 and 61 years. In two ped iatric cases a liver allograft reduction was performed. Six recipients (46%) required treatment for acute cellular rejection. One recipient had an hepatic artery thrombosis and had to be retransplanted. There w as no operative mortality up to 30 days in cases of primary liver tran splants. The retransplanted adult recipient, and another pediatric rec ipient that died from a late recurrence of a hepatoblastoma, accounted for the morality of this experience. After an average follow up of 10 months, the actual patient survival is 85%. Of the 11 surviving recip ients, 9 are in excellent conditions with a very good quality of life. This experience shows that an active liver transplant program in our country can be succesfull in obtaining results comparable to those pub lished by very experienced foreign transplant centers.