Background: Living liver donation is one of the most selfless and humane acts a person can perform. Few single-center reports have been published specifically evaluating complications and quality of life postdonation. Methods: A retrospective analysis of outcomes of 176 living liver donors at our center to determine the incidence, type, and Clavien grade of complications, as well as long-term quality of life

Results: Of 176 living donors, 154 underwent right hepatectomy; 4, left-hepatectomy; and 18, left lateral segmentectomy. The mean follow-up time was 4.8 years. Complications were more frequent among right-lobe donors than left-lobe donors (P = 0.003). Of note, 82% of complications were Clavien grade 1 or 2. Of the 154 right-lobe donors, 3 had Clavien grade 3a complications; 9, grade 3b complications (4, bile leaks; 3, intraabdominal bleeding; and 2, pleural effusions). No donor had complications that were ≥ Clavien grade 4. Per multivariate regression, resected graft volume (P = 0.0498) and postdonation international normalized ratio > 2 (P = 0.00499) were significantly associated with a higher risk of Clavien grade 3 complications; however, gender, age, previous abdominal surgery, postdonation bilirubin > 6 mg/dL, and aspartate transaminase > 650 IU/L were not. Per our 36-item Short-Form Health Survey results, donors (mean, 4.8 years postdonation) reported good quality of life. In a liver donation survey sent between 1 and 15 years postdonation, the most frequently reported problems were incisional discomfort and intolerance to fatty meals.

Conclusion: In our single-center study, early complication rates were comparable to those of multicenter reports. Most complications (82%)were Clavien grade 1 or 2. Over a long follow-up period, our donors continue to have improved quality of life.

CITATION INFORMATION: Chinnakotla S., Kirchner V., Mongin S., Berglund D., Serrano O., Pruett T. Complications and QoL after Living Donor Hepatectomy: Analysis of 176 Cases at a Single Center Am J Transplant. 2017;17 (suppl 3).

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