Complications of liver transplantation: multimodality imaging approach

• Published in: Radiographics Vol. 27; no. 5; p. 1401
• Main Authors: Caiado, Angela Hissae Motoyama, Blasbalg, Roberto, Marcelino, Antonio Sergio Zafred, da Cunha Pinho, Marco, Chammas, Maria Cristina, da Costa Leite, Claudia, Cerri, Giovanni Guido, de Oliveira, André Cosme, Bacchella, Telésforo, Machado, Marcel Cerqueira César
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.09.2007
• Subjects: Adult; Bile Duct Diseases - diagnosis; Bile Duct Diseases - etiology; Budd-Chiari Syndrome - diagnosis; Budd-Chiari Syndrome - etiology; Diagnostic Imaging - methods; Female; Graft Rejection - diagnosis; Graft Rejection - etiology; Humans; Liver Neoplasms - diagnosis; Liver Neoplasms - etiology; Liver Transplantation - adverse effects; Liver Transplantation - diagnostic imaging; Male; Middle Aged; Practice Guidelines as Topic; Practice Patterns, Physicians; Ultrasonography
• ISSN: 1527-1323
• DOI: 10.1148/rg.275065129

Liver transplantation is currently an accepted first-line treatment for patients with end-stage acute or chronic liver disease, but postoperative complications may limit the long-term success of transplantation. The most common and most clinically significant complications are arterial and venous thrombosis and stenosis, biliary disorders, fluid collections, neoplasms, and graft rejection. Early diagnosis is crucial to the successful management of all these complications, and imaging plays an important role in the diagnosis of all but graft rejection. A multimodality approach including ultrasonography and cross-sectional imaging studies often is most effective for diagnosis. Each imaging modality has specific strengths and weaknesses, and the diagnostic usefulness of a modality depends mainly on the patient's characteristics, the clinical purpose of the imaging evaluation, and the expertise of imaging professionals.