*Purpose: To compare the short-term and long-term effects of artificial blood vessels and autologous blood vessels to reconstruct the retrohepatic inferior vena cava (IVC) in ex vivo liver resection and autotransplantation (ERAT) for hepatic alveolar echinococcosis (HAE).

*Methods: Clinical data from consecutive 73 HAE patients from Feb 2014 to Aug 2019. Patients underwent ERAT, and IVC replacement using expanded polytetrafluoroethylene grafts (PTFE, PGs) or autologous blood grafts (AGs) and were divided into the PG group (N=29) or the AG group (N=44).The postoperative IVC patency, thrombosis and long-term complications were compared.

*Results: The recipents in the AG group (median age,36.3 years) had a mean lesion diameter of 15.4cm, whereas the recipients in the PG group (median age,37.9 years) had a mean lesion diameter of 15.0cm. The median IVC circumference of the grafts in the AG and BG groups were 180° and 270°, respectively (p=0.017). The median operation time and anhepatic phase time in the AG group were 720 minutes and 311 minutes compared to 770 minutes and 310 minutes in the PG group, respectively. Pathology confirmed that all patients had violated IVCs. Six patients died during the postoperative period (4-15 days), and 67 patients survived, with a median follow-up of 24.7 months (2-67months). The patency rates of the vascular grafts were 100% in the recipients with no evidence of thrombosis. Prosthetic-related complications did not occur, and the reconstructed IVCs had no stenosis.

*Conclusions: ERAT combined with IVC reconstruction using an expanded PTFE graft or autologous blood grafts can be used safely in carefully selected patients. There is no difference in the long-term effects of these two materials.

« Back to 2020 American Transplant Congress