Liver Transplant for Posthepatectomy Liver Failure in Hepatoblastoma

Abstract

Objectives: Predicting the risk of posthepatectomy liver failure is important when performing extended hepatectomy. However, there is no established method to evaluate liver function and improve preoperative liver function in pediatric patients.

Materials and methods: We show the clinical features of pediatric patients who underwent living donor liver transplant for posthepatectomy liver failure in hepatoblastoma. The subjects were 4 patients with hepatoblastoma who were classified as Pretreatment Extent of Disease III, 2 of whom had distal metastasis (chest wall and lung).

Results: Hepatic right trisegmentectomy was performed in 3 patients and extended left hepatectomy in 1 patient. The median alpha-fetoprotein level at the diagnosis of hepatoblastoma was 986300 ng/mL (range, 22500-2726350 ng/mL), and the median alpha-fetoprotein level before hepatectomy was 8489 ng/mL (range, 23-22500 ng/mL). The remnant liver volume after hepatectomy was 33.3% (range, 20% to 34.9%). Four patients had cholangitis after hepatectomy and progressed to posthepatectomy liver failure. The peak serum total bilirubin after hepatectomy was 11.4 mg/dL (range, 8.7-14.6 mg/dL). Living donor liver transplant was performed for these 4 patients with posthepatectomy liver failure, and they did not have a recurrence.

Conclusions: When the predictive remnant liver volume by computed tomography-volumetry before extended hepatectomy for patients with hepatoblastoma is less than 40%, the possibility of posthepatectomy liver failure should be recognized.