Domino liver transplantation

Abstract

Orthotopic liver transplantation is today an established treatment for end stage liver diseases. However, the ongoing shortage of suitable livers together with progressively longer waiting lists prevents many patients from being transplanted, and many patients die while being on the waiting list. Using livers from living donors is one way to increase the supply of liver grafts. Another group of potential living liver donors are some selected liver recipients, whose native explanted liver in turn can be considered for transplantation into another patient. This unorthodox procedure have been named domino liver transplantation (DLT). The domino approach can be considered in patients with some genetic or biochemical disorders that today are treated by liver transplantation. The underlying rationale is that such livers ultimately cause severe systemic disease but are otherwise normal. In this review we present the current world status of DLT as well as updated results from the Domino Liver World Transplant Register (DLTR) and our own experience at the Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge with the DLT procedure.