Normal Hepatic Hemodynamics During Early Postoperative Period in Recipients With Adult Live Donor Liver Transplantation

To recognize “normal” hepatic hemodynamics after live donor liver transplantation (LDLT), we analyzed Doppler parameters on recipients with a right liver graft and donors after extended left hepatectomy. Theoretically these values should be the same. From April 2000 to October 2004, 20 LDLTs were performed using a right liver graft. The 10 recipients without postoperative complications and their donors were included in this study. Portal venous velocity (PVV; cm/s), hepatic arterial peak systolic velocity (cm/s), and hepatic venous peak velocity (HVPV; cm/s) were measured during the first 2 weeks. In donors PVV and HVPV after LDLT were significantly higher after than before left hepatectomy: 19.2 ± 4.2 vs. 31.5 ± 13.0 cm/s (P = .013) and 23.0 ± 7.2 vs. 41.8 ± 10.3 cm/s respectively (P = .010). However, there were mild degrees of increased PVV and HVPV. In recipients, a markedly increased PVV (106.3 ± 45.2 cm/s on day 1) was significantly higher than that in donors on each postoperative day. The hepatic arterial resistive index in recipients was also significantly higher than that in donors on each postoperative day, for example, 0.72 ± 0.11 vs 0.62 ± 0.04 on day 1 (P = .0326). In conclusion, we have shown “abnormal” hepatic hemodynamics in even those recipients without complications during the early postoperative period after LDLT.