Liver recipient-donor matching

The transplanted liver, in contrast to kidney, is placed ortho-topicaUy the recipient s own liver must be removed. Liver transplant occurs in several phases removal of recipient hver, donor graft revascularization, and bihary reconstruction. During the anhepatic phase, the patient is placed on venovenous bypass to preserve venous return from the kidney and lower extremities. Size may be a limiting factor in liver transplantation. Donor and recipient are usually matched for size ( 20%) to prevent splinting of the diaphragm and pulmonary complications that would result from transplantation of an excessively large hver. ... 

As in the case of heart transplantation, retrospective HLA matching of liver donors and recipients shows that well-matched grafts are generally associated with a lower risk of rejection but not necessarily with improved graft survival. A definitive evaluation of the benefits, if any, of HLA matching in liver transplantation will require substantially more data than are available at present. 

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