Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is common in patients with chronic liver disease (CLD) as is acute kidney injury (AKI). The differentiation between CKD vs AKI is often difficult and sometimes the both may coexist. A combined kidney-liver transplant (CKLT) may result in a kidney transplant in patients whose renal function is likely to recover or at least who have stable renal function post-transplant. We retrospectively enrolled 2742 patients who underwent living donor liver transplant at our center from 2007 to 2019.
Methods: This audit was carried out in liver transplant recipients with CKD 3 to 5 who underwent either liver transplant alone (LTA) or CKLT to look at outcomes and long-term evolution of renal function. Forty-seven patients met the medical eligibility criteria for CKLT. Of the 47 patients, 25 underwent LTA and the rest 22 underwent CKLT. The diagnosis of CKD was made according to the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes classification.
Results: Preoperative renal function parameters were comparable between the 2 groups. However, CKLT patients had significantly lower glomerular filtration rates (P = .007) and higher proteinuria (P = .01). Postoperatively, renal function, and comorbidities were comparable between the 2 groups. Survival was similar at 1, 3, and 12 months, respectively (log-rank; P = .84, = .81, and = .96, respectively). At the end of the study period, 57% of patients who survived in LTA groups had stabilized renal function (Creatinine = 1.8 ± 0.6 mg/dL).
Conclusions: Liver transplant alone is not inferior to CKLT in living donor situations. Renal dysfunction is stabilized in the long term whereas long-term dialysis may be carried out in others. Living donor liver transplantation alone is not inferior to CKLT for cirrhotic patients with CKD.
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