Imaging for right lobe living donor liver transplantation

The authors describe their experience using multidetector, multiphase compu ted tomography (CT) for the preoperative evaluation of donors undergoing ad ult right lobe liver transplantation. The marked improvement in image resol ution has been extremely valuable in delineating small hepatic arterial str uctures, including accessory and replaced vessels. Assessment of liver pare nchyma is valuable in determining the presence of steatosis or other unexpe cted abnormalities. Measurement of total liver volume is highly accurate an d reproducible. Virtual hepatectomy can be performed in an avascular plane between the right and left lobes, to the right of the middle hepatic vein. Knowledge of the resultant right and left lobe volumes is critical in patie nt selection. Multidetector, multiphase CT, as a single imaging modality, p rovides a minimally invasive comprehensive preoperative evaluation that can be expected to have a major impact on patient selection and surgical plann ing.