Living related liver transplantation for an infant with biliary atresia.

OBJECTIVE

To sum up the preliminary experience in living related liver transplantation (LRLT).

METHODS

A 9-month-old male infant with biliary atresia (BA) who had undergone an unsuccessful Kasai operation was defined as a candidate for LRLT. The donor was his 30-year-old mother. Her lateral lobe of the left liver was transplanted into the infant's body as the graft. The left branches of the portal vein, left hepatic artery and left hepatic vein of the graft were end-to-end anastomosed to the portal vein, hepatic artery proper and hepatic vein of the recipient respectively. Biliary drainage was reestablished via Roux-en-Y operation.

RESULTS

The donor retained her liver function within 2 weeks after the operation. Steroid and FK506 were prescribed in immunosuppressive therapy for the recipient. The blood bilirubin level of the infant decreased to normal 2 weeks after operation. No acute rejection occurred. Biliary leakage in the early period after the transplantation was controlled by drainage, and E.coli infection was effectively treated with antibiotics. The donor and recipient are in satisfactory condition to the present.

CONCLUSION

LRLT is advisable for children with biliary atresia.