Perivascular low attenuation zone at CT of liver transplants. A follow-up study.

A follow-up study of 30 liver transplant patients confirmed that periportal and pericaval rims of low attenuation found at CT reflect hepatic lymph stasis. The perivascular rims are found coexistent with acute allograft rejection, but are not correlated with acute rejection, immunosuppressive agents (cyclosporin A), or intercurrent infection. Disappearance of the perivascular low attenuation zone in our material coincided with normalization of liver biochemistry probably associated with reestablishment of lymphatic drainage. Like previous reports on experimental hepatic lymph stasis, our study thus indicates that lymph stasis may have harmful effects on human liver allografts.