Hepatic artery stenosis after pediatric liver transplantation: The potential role of conservative management.

Aim: This study aimed to investigate the outcomes and effectiveness of various treatment strategies in patients with hepatic artery stenosis (HAS) after pediatric liver transplantation (pLT).

Methods: This is a single center observational cohort study between January 1st, 2004 and August 1st, 2023, including pLT recipients aged <18 years. The primary outcome was graft and patient survival. The secondary outcomes included incidence of biliary complications, technical success of surgery or endovascular therapy (EVT), and changes in liver function. The cut-off for early and late HAS was 14 days after pLT.

Results: Among a total of 327 pLT patients, 4 % (n = 13) developed HAS (n = 3 early; n = 10 late). Treatments included surgical revascularization for one early HAS, conservative management with anticoagulation for one early and four late HAS, and EVT for one early and six late HAS. Over a median follow-up of 28.2 months after the diagnosis of HAS, graft survival was 100 % and 83 % in early and late HAS groups, and patient survival reached 100 % in both groups. One graft loss occurred in the conservative group. Conversely, graft survival in the EVT group was 100 %.

Conclusion: The long-term outcomes of HAS after pLT are excellent. Both EVT and conservative management exhibited high graft survival rates for late HAS, with EVT achieving high technical success.