Outcome of liver transplantation for hepatitis B: Report of a single center's experience

Results of liver transplantation (LT) for hepatitis B have improved signifi cantly with the use of hepatitis B immune globulin (HBIG) and/or lamivudine . The aim of this study is to review the long-term outcome of patients who underwent LT for hepatitis B. Records of 41 patients who underwent LT for h epatitis B and survived 3 months or longer post-LT were reviewed. Twenty pa tients were administered no immunoprophylaxis or short-term intramuscular H BIG, whereas 21 patients were administered high-dose intravenous (IV) HBIG. Median post-LT follow-up in these 2 groups was 76 months (range, 4 to 155 months) and 25 months (range, 4 to 68 months), respectively. Hepatitis B re curred in 15 (75%) and 4 patients (19%) who underwent LT in the pre-HBIG an d post-HBIG eras, respectively. Cumulative rates of recurrent hepatitis B a t I and 3 years post-LT in these 2 groups were 66% and 77% and 20% and 20%, respectively (P<.001). Recurrent hepatitis B in the post-HBIG era correlat ed with antibody to hepatitis B surface antigen titer less than 100 IU/L. N ine patients with recurrent hepatitis B were administered lamivudine for 13 to 49 months (median, 28 months), 6 patients continued to have stable or i mproved liver disease, whereas 3 patients developed virological breakthroug h with slow deterioration of liver disease. Long-term TV HBIG is effective in preventing recurrent hepatitis B. The risk for recurrent hepatitis B is negligible after the first year post-LT. Among patients with no virological breakthrough, lamivudine can stabilize or improve Liver disease for up to 4 years in patients with recurrent hepatitis B post-LT.