Liver transplantation using an otherwise-wasted partial liver resection graft

Abstract

Liver transplantation represents a complex surgical procedure and serves as a curative treatment for patients presenting an acute or chronic end-stage liver disease, or carefully selected liver malignancy. A significant gap still exists between the number of available donor organs and potential recipients. The use of an otherwise-wasted resected liver lobe from patients with benign liver tumors is a new, albeit small, option to alleviate the allograft shortage. This review provides evidence that resected liver lobes may be used successfully in liver transplantation.

Keywords: Alternative liver transplantation technique; Benign hepatic tumor; Focal nodular hyperplasia; Hemangioma; Liver resection; Liver transplantation; Otherwise-wasted resected liver lobe; Partial liver resection graft.