Renz John F, Yersiz Hasan, Reichert Paulo R, Hisatake Garrett M, Farmer Douglas G, Emond Jean C, Busuttil Ronald W
Center for Liver Disease and Transplantation, College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University, New York Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY, USA.
Am J Transplant. 2003 Nov;3(11):1323-35. doi: 10.1046/j.1600-6135.2003.00254.x.
Split-liver transplantation (SLT), a procedure where one cadaver liver is divided to provide for two recipients, offers immediate expansion of the existing cadaver donor pool. To date, the principal beneficiaries of SLT have been adult/pediatric recipient pairs with excellent outcomes reported; however, the current scarcity of cadaver organs has renewed interest in expanding these techniques to include two adult recipients from one adult cadaver donor. Significant obstacles to the widespread application of SLT exist and must be resolved by the transplant community before greater utilization can be realized. This manuscript reviews the historic background, surgical techniques, current results, and obstacles impeding further application of SLT.
