Liver transplantation in mitochondrial respiratory chain disorders

Mitochondrial respiratory chain disease may lead to neonatal or late onset liver failure, requiring liver transplantation. In rare cases, the disease is restricted to the liver and the patient is cured after surgery. More fre quently, other organs are simultaneously involved and neuromuscular or othe r extra-hepatic symptoms may pre-exist, or appear in the post-transplant fo llow up. Pre-transplant evaluation should aim to rule out neurological dise ase, which may be difficult to differentiate from signs accompanying liver insufficiency. Cerebrospinal fluid lactic acid levels, compared to blood la ctate, may be suggestive of central nervous system involvement. Of 11 cases with respiratory chain disorders who had liver transplantation in various centres, 4 are alive and well on follow up, and 6 died, three of them havin g developed neurological disease post orthotopic liver transplantation. All three patients with initial liver and gastro-intestinal disease died early after transplantation, indicating that these may be poor candidates for th is procedure. Conclusion Liver transplantation is feasible in hepatic respiratory chain d isorders, but extra-hepatic disease should be ruled out before transplantat ion. Extra-hepatic manifestations may, however, appear and cause patient de ath despite successful transplantation.