Arterial complications after liver transplantation

From September 1988 through April 1998, 1000 liver transplantations were pe rformed on 911 patients. During the postoperative control examinations of 8 37 patients, we found 23 (2.74 %) with hepatic artery thromboses, 27 stenos es of the hepatic artery (3.22 %), and 6 aneurysms of the graft artery. Sev enteen patients underwent retransplantation because of arterial complicatio ns. Depending on the clinical symptoms, we treated both the local situation as well as the resulting complications of inadequate arterial graft flow. The aneurysms were primarily treated surgically. The first choice of treatm ent of stenoses was balloon angioplasty. Early postoperative artery thrombo ses were also treated surgically by thrombectomy in selected cases. For the resulting biliary and local septic complications we preferred endoscopic a nd drainage procedures, Our clinical experiences have led us to find pretra nsplantation angiography recommendable, especially in the case of splanchni c artery stenoses, for bypassing from the aorta for arterial perfusion of t he graft.