SPLIT-LIVER TRANSPLANTATION - THE BROUSSE,PAUL POLICY

Objective The authors objective is to report their recent experience w ith split-liver transplantation, focusing on the results and the impac t on organ shortage. Summary Background Data There is an insufficient number of organs for liver transplantation. Split-liver transplantatio n is a method to increase the number of grafts, but the procedure is s low to gain wide acceptance because of its complexity and the poor res ults reported in previous series. Methods During the year 1995, the au thors split 20 of 83 transplantable livers allocated to the authors' c enter, generating 40 grafts: 23 were transplanted locally and 17 were given to partner centers. During the same period, the authors accepted four split-liver grafts proposed to them by other centers. Overall, 2 7 split-liver transplantations were done in the authors' unit, account ing for 30% of the 90 transplants performed in 1995. Results One-year patient and graft survival rates for split-liver transplantation were 79.4% and 78.5%, respectively. Arterial and biliary complications rate s were 15% and 22%, respectively, with none leading to graft loss. Pri mary nonfunction occurred in one case (4%). By splitting 24 of 87 tran splantable livers (4 of which were in partner units), a total of 111 t ransplantations were performed, increasing graft availability by 28%. Conclusions Split-liver transplantation is achieving graft and patient survival rates similar to that of whole liver transplantation despite a higher incidence of complications, which could become less frequent as experience is gained with this procedure. A wider acceptance of sp lit-liver transplantation could markedly increase the supply of liver grafts.