Hepatic transplantation in Europe. First Report of the European Liver Transplant Registry

Abstract

At the 32 European centres where livers are transplanted the actuarial survival rate for 1218 patients was 44% at 1 year and 41% at 2 years. Perioperative mortality (30 days) was 30%. Recipients aged under 15 years had a higher survival rate than those aged over 15; the differences were 22% at 1 year and 32% at 2 years. For the 97 patients who received two or more liver grafts, actuarial survival was 27.7% at 1 and 2 years. Two-thirds of the transplantations were done since 1984. Since then the best results have been obtained for biliary atresia (88 cases; survival rates at 30 days, 1 year, and 2 years were 87%, 74%, and 68%). Primary biliary cirrhosis was the commonest benign indication for transplantation, with survival of 64% at 1 and 2 years. The proportion of transplantations that were done for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma was smaller after than before 1984; among transplantations done in adults after 1984, those done because of hepatocellular carcinoma gave the best perioperative survival rate (76%) but the worst 2 year survival (30.8%).