Technical refinements to reduce the early biliary complication in living donor liver transplantation

Background

Biliary reconstruction is a key factor that affects biliary complication rates. Surgical experience plays a pivotal role, but continuous technical refinement is essential for enhancing biliary outcomes. This study aimed to evaluate the biliary outcomes of LDLTs in patients undergoing microsurgical biliary reconstruction with continual technical refinements.

Materials and Methods

This observational cohort study analyzed data was conducted from 2006 to 2022. Microsurgical biliary reconstruction was performed using various refinements, including selective biliary stent insertion, ipsilateral (anatomical) bile duct anastomosis, use of a figure-of-8 suture over the junction of the graft and recipient bile ducts, and centralization techniques for size discrepancies greater than 2 to 1. Comparison and evaluation of early BC within one year post transplant was performed.

Results

1780 patients (including 1563 adults and 217 paediatric patients) underwent microsurgical biliary reconstruction in LDLTs at KCGMH between 2006 and 2022. The donor grafts comprised 1109 right liver grafts and 671 left liver grafts. Of the grafts, 23.1 % had multiple bile ducts and 16.1 % had bile duct sizes <3 mm. Duct-to-duct anastomosis was performed in most cases 1417 (79.6 %), while 363 (20.4 %) Roux-en-Y hepaticojejunostomies (RY HJ) was performed. The overall early BCs rate was 10 % and notable improvements were observed, decreasing from 10.35 % between 2006 and 2021 to 6.5 % by 2022. Early BS comprised the most part of 6.1 % as compared to 2.7 % one year after transplantation. Stent insertion in selected cases, ipsilateral anastomosis, and the figure-of-8 suture technique significantly reduced early BCs. Although centralization technique showed promising results, its effect was not statistically significant.

Conclusions

Continual technical refinements in MBR can contribute to a substantial reduction in early BCs following LDLT, ultimately leading to improved patient outcomes.