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. 2025 Jul 1.
doi: 10.1097/LVT.0000000000000671. Online ahead of print.

Management of hepatic artery thrombosis and stenosis after pediatric liver transplantation: Variability and agreement in management practices

Weihao Li  1 Reinoud P H Bokkers  1 Barbara E Wildhaber  2 Ana M Calinescu  2 Alexis Ricoeur  3 Paolo Marra  4 Michela Bravi  5 Domenico Pinelli  6 Julia Minetto  7 Marcelo Dip  7 Sergio Sierre  8 Martín de Santibañes  9 Victoria Ardiles  9 Jimmy Walker Uno  9 Winita Hardikar  10 Sue Bates  10 Lynette Goh  10 Denise Aldrian  11 Jonathan Seisenbacher  11 Georg F Vogel  11   12 João Seda Neto  13 Eduardo Antunes da Fonseca  13 Carolina Magalhães Costa  13 Cristina T Ferreira  14 Luiza S Nader  14 Marco A Farina  14 Khaled Z Dajani  15 Alessandro Parente  15 David L Bigam  15 Tingbo Liang  16 Xueli Bai  16 Jie Xiang  16 Lucie Gonsorčíková  17 Jiří Froněk  18 Šimon Bohuš  17 Stéphanie Franchi-Abella  19 Emmanuel Gonzales  20 Florent Guérin  21 Norman Junge  22 Ulrich Baumann  22 Nicolas Richter  23 Steffen Hartleif  24 Ekkehard Sturm  24 Muthukumarassamy Rajakannu  25 Kumar Palaniappan  25 Mohamed Rela  25 Arti Pawaria  26 Haritha Rajakrishnan  27 Sudhindran Surendran  27 Mukesh Kumar  28 Shaleen Agarwal  28 Subhash Gupta  28 Sonal Asthana  29 Mallikarjun Sakpal  29 Ashritha Avalareddy  29 Marco Spada  30 Lidia Monti  31 Tommaso Alterio  32 Yusuke Yanagi  33 Hajime Uchida  33 Ryuji Komine  33 Helen Evans  34 Peter Carr-Boyd  35 David Duncan  36 Marek Stefanowicz  37 Julita Latka-Grot  37 Adam Koleśnik  38 Dieter C Broering  39 Dimitri A Raptis  39 Kris Ann H Marquez  39 Vidyadhar Mali  40 Marion Aw  41 Marisa Beretta  42 Francisca Van der Schyff  43 Jesús Quintero  44 Maria Mercadal-Hally  44 Jose Andrés Molino-Gahete  44 Ane M Andres  45 Francisco Hernandez-Oliveros  45 Esteban Frauca Remacha  46 Thomas Casswall  47 Carl Jorns  48 Martin Delle  49 Girish L Gupte  50 Khalid Sharif  50 Simon P McGuirk  51 Riccardo Superina  52 Juan Carlos Caicedo  52   53 Catalina Jaramillo  54 Leandra Bitterfeld  55 Zachary Kastenberg  56 Amit A Shah  57   58 Bryanna Domenick  57 Michael R Acord  58   59 George Mazariegos  60 Kyle Soltys  60 Joseph DiNorcia  61 Puja Patel  61 Sander Florman  61 Bettina M Buchholz  62 Uta Herden  62 Lutz Fischer  62 Rudi A J O Dierckx  63 Hermien Hartog  64 Hubert P J Van der Doef  65
Affiliations

Management of hepatic artery thrombosis and stenosis after pediatric liver transplantation: Variability and agreement in management practices

Weihao Li et al. Liver Transpl. .

Abstract

Guidelines for managing hepatic artery thrombosis (HAT) and stenosis (HAS) after pediatric liver transplantation (pLT) are lacking, with heterogeneous local practices. This study aims to evaluate management practices for HAT and HAS after pLT. An online and paper-based survey was sent to 36 international pLT centers. The survey included 36 questions covering center experience, screening protocols, diagnostic criteria, preventive management, post-procedural care, and follow-up. Treatment strategies were explored through hypothetical case scenarios categorized by early (≤14 d after pLT) and late onset complications (>14 d after pLT). Responses from 36 centers showed that 60% applied interrupted sutures and 76% used a surgical loupe during transplantation. In addition, 89% followed a specific anticoagulation protocol after uncomplicated pLT. All centers initiated Doppler ultrasound (DUS) within 24 hours after pLT, with 60% conducting it daily during the first week. Immediate re-transplantation was preferred for early HAT with pediatric acute liver failure (PALF) (61% vs. 11% for non-PALF, p <0.001), and surgical revascularization was more frequently chosen for non-PALF cases (51% vs. 24% for PALF, p <0.001). Endovascular therapy was selected in 35% of cases for both late HAT and HAS, with conservative management chosen in 51% for late HAT and 61% for late HAS (all p <0.001, compared to early cases). Internationally, there is agreement on the importance of early DUS screening in current management practices. Immediate re-transplantation was preferred for early HAT with PALF, while surgical revascularization was favored for non-PALF cases. Conservative management and endovascular therapy emerged as potential strategies for late-onset cases. This worldwide survey on real-world practice provides a basis for developing and implementing guidelines.

Keywords: hepatic artery stenosis; hepatic artery thrombosis; management; pediatric liver transplantation; survey.

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