Objective To investigate the application value of hepatic vein outflow tract reconstruction with ringed polytetrafluoroethylene vascular in right lobe living donor liver trans-plantation.

Methods The retrospective and descriptive study was conducted. The clinicopatho-logical data of 4 donors and 4 recipients undergoing right lobe living donor liver transplantation in Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, the Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School and 17 donors and 17 recipients undergoing right lobe living donor liver transplantation in the First Affiliated Hospital with Nanjing Medical University from June 2015 to August 2018 were collected. Of 21 donors, there were 10 males and 11 females, aged from 35 to 57 years, with a median age of 46 years. The median body mass of 21 donors were 64 kg, with a range from 56 to 72 kg. Of 21 recipients, there were 16 males and 5 females, aged from 21 to 68 years, with a median age of 42 years. The median body mass of 21 recipients were 63 kg, with a range from 47 to 77 kg. Observation indicators: (1) surgical and postoperative situations; (2) follow-up. Follow-up was conducted by outpatient examination or telephone interview to detect graft function, tumor recurrence, vascular graft complications, patency of vascular graft and survival of recipients up to August 2020. All recipients will be followed up for all their lives. Measurement data with normal distribution were represented as Mean±SD and measurement data with skewed distribution were represented as M (range). Count data were represented as absolute numbers or percentages. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate patency rates of hepatic vein outflow tract and survival rates to draw patency curve and survival curve.

Results (1) Surgical and postoperative situations: the operation time, the weight of donor graft, graft to recipient weight ratio and duration of hospital stay of 21 donors were (367±72)minutes, (557±68)g, 0.89%±0.16% and (10+2)days, respectively. No major complication requiring reoperation or intervention occurred in any of the 21 donors. One donor undergoing mild bile leakage preserved peritoneal drainage for one week. All 21 recipients underwent classic orthotopic liver transplantation successfully. The time of hepatic vein outflow tract reconstruction in donor graft, operation time and time of anhepatic phase of 21 recipients were (24±4)minutes, (326±66)minutes and (42±6)minutes, respectively. The number of reconstructed middle hepatic vein in hepatic segment 5 and 8 were 18 and 15, with the diameter of (6.1±1.3)mm and (7.2±1.2)mm, respectively. The number of reconstructed inferior right hepatic vein were 10, with the diameter of (6.3±1.3)mm. The postoperative treatment time at intensive care unit and duration of hospital stay of 21 recipients were (1.5±0.9)days and (22.6±6.7)days, respectively. Ten of 21 recipients underwent postoperative complications. Five recipients underwent graft dysfunction including the level of alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase >1 000 IU/L and the level of bilirubin slightly increasing, combined with increased ascites. Enhanced computed tomography scan showed congestion in the right anterior of graft and thrombosis in the middle hepatic vein of hepatic segment 5 and segment 8. All 5 recipients undergoing graft dysfunction recovered with normal liver function and ascites decreasing after symptomatic treatment including liver protection therapy, anticoagulation and albumin infusion. Two recipients underwent inferior vena cava thrombosis and intractable pleural effusion one month after operation. Vena cava venography examination showed thrombosis in the graft vascular. Of the 2 recipients, one case with collateral circulation formation recovered undergoing balloon dilatation and stent placement combined with anticoagulation therapy of warfarin. The other one case recovered after anticoagulation therapy of warfarin. One recipient undergoing bile leakage and abdominal infection with klebsiella pneumoniae recovered after symptomatic treatment. Two recipients undergoing abdominal infection or pulmonary infection recovered after symptomatic treatment. There was no serious complication or death during perioperative period. (2) Follow-up: all 21 recipients were followed up for 10 to 57 months, with a median follow-up time of 38 months. During the follow-up, no recipient underwent graft dysfunction and 2 recipients had tumor recurrence at postoperative 6 months. Six of the 21 recipients died within 2 years after operation including 3 cases dying of tumor recurrence, 2 cases dying of acute hemorrhage and 1 case dying of liver failure. There was no death caused by vascular graft complica-tions. The postoperative 1, 3, 6-month, and 1-year and 2-year potency rates of hepatic vein outflow tract in 21 recipients were 88.4%, 88.4%, 82.4%, 68.0% and 42.1%, respectively. The 6-month, 1-year and 2-year overall survival rates in 21 recipients were 100%, 94.4%, 71.4%, respectively.

Conclusion Application of hepatic vein outflow tract reconstruction with ringed polytetrafluoroethylene vascular in right lobe living donor liver transplantation is safe and feasible.