Imaging of hepatic transplantation.

Hepatic transplantation has become the treatment of choice for advanced irreversible liver disease. More than 4,000 hepatic transplantations were performed in the United States in 1997 and more than 11,000 are awaiting transplantation. Graft endurance and overall patient survival has been steadily improving, and between 1992 and 1994, 82% of the patients who received a liver transplant survived for at least a year. Today, liver transplant patients have a five-year survival rate of approximately 75%. The improvement in survival can be attributed to better patient selection and preparation, advances in organ preservation, improved immunosuppressive therapy agents and refinement of surgical techniques. In this article, we will address the hepatic parenchyma and vascular structures that should be evaluated prior to and following liver transplantation, the range of expected anomalies and abnormalities, and the utility of each of the three main imaging modalities, namely ultrasonography, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging in this assessment.