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. 2021 Apr 29:9:628771.
doi: 10.3389/fped.2021.628771. eCollection 2021.

Survival and Complication of Liver Transplantation in Infants: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Yifu Hou  1   2 , Xiaoxiao Wang  1   2 , Hongji Yang  1   2 , Shan Zhong  1   2
Affiliations

Survival and Complication of Liver Transplantation in Infants: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Yifu Hou et al. Front Pediatr. .

Abstract

Background: Modern surgical techniques and scientific advancements have made liver transplant (LT) in infants feasible. However, there are only a small number of studies examining the short- as well as long-term outcomes of LT in this vulnerable subset of children. Methods: Comprehensive searches were done systematically through the PubMed, Scopus, and Google scholar databases. Studies that were retrospective record based or adopted a cohort approach and reported either patient survival rates or graft survival rates or complications of LT in infants were included in the meta-analysis. Statistical analysis was done using STATA version 13.0. Results: A total of 22 studies were included in the meta-analysis. The overall pooled patient survival rate at 1 year, >1-5 years, and >5 years post-transplantation was 85% (95% CI: 78--92%), 71% (95% CI: 59-83%), and 80% (95% CI: 69-91%), respectively. The overall pooled graft survival rate at 1 year, >1-5 years, and >5 years post-transplantation was 72% (95% CI: 68-76%), 62% (95% CI: 46-78%), and 71% (95% CI: 56-86%), respectively. The overall pooled rate for vascular complications, need for re-transplantation, biliary complications, and infection/sepsis was 12% (95% CI: 10-15%), 16% (95% CI: 12-20%), 15% (95% CI: 9-21%), and 50% (95% CI: 38-61%), respectively. Conclusion: The current meta-analysis showed modest patient and graft survival rates for infant liver transplantation. However, the complication rates related to infection/sepsis were high. More comprehensive evidence is required from studies with larger sample sizes and a longer duration of follow-up.

Keywords: complication; infants; liver transplant; meta-analysis; survival.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Selection process of the studies included in the review.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Pooled patient survival rate among infants at or within 1 year post-liver transplantation.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Pooled patient survival rate among infants between >1 and 5 years post-liver transplantation.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Pooled patient survival rate among infants at more than 5 years post-liver transplantation.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Pooled graft survival rate among infants at or within 1 year post-liver transplantation.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Pooled graft survival rate among infants between >1 and 5 years post-liver transplantation.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Pooled graft survival rate among infants at more than 5 years post-liver transplantation.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Pooled rate for vascular complications (hepatic artery thrombosis and portal vein thrombosis) in the included studies.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Pooled rate for re-transplantation in the included studies.
Figure 10
Figure 10
Pooled rate for biliary complications in the included studies.
Figure 11
Figure 11
Pooled proportion for infections/sepsis in the included studies.
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