Combined Liver Kidney Transplantation: Critical Analysis of a Single-Center Experience

• Published in: Transplantation proceedings Vol. 43; no. 3; pp. 901 - 904
• Main Authors: Cimsit, B, Schilsky, M, Moini, M, Cartiera, K, Arvelakis, A, Kulkarni, S, Formica, R, Caldwell, C, Taddei, T, Asch, W, Emre, S
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier Inc 01.04.2011; Elsevier
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Biological and medical sciences; Connecticut; End Stage Liver Disease - complications; End Stage Liver Disease - surgery; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Fundamental immunology; Humans; Kidney Transplantation; Liver Transplantation; Liver, biliary tract, pancreas, portal circulation, spleen; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Renal Insufficiency - complications; Renal Insufficiency - surgery; Surgery; Surgery (general aspects). Transplantations, organ and tissue grafts. Graft diseases; Surgery of the digestive system; Surgery of the urinary system; Tissue, organ and graft immunology; Treatment Outcome; Young Adult; Connecticut; Center; Digestive system; Liver; Multiorgan transplantation; Homotransplantation; Kidney; Medicine; Experience; Treatment; Urinary system; Combined surgery; Surgery; Analysis; Graft; Kidney transplantation; Liver transplantation
• ISSN: 0041-1345; 1873-2623
• DOI: 10.1016/j.transproceed.2011.02.033

Abstract Combined liver kidney transplantation (LKT) can be successfully performed on patients with liver and renal failure; however, outcomes are inferior to liver transplantation alone (OLT). Our aim was to determine the indications for and outcome of LKT and whether patients with longer wait times required more frequent LKT versus OLT alone. We included 18/93 adults who underwent LKT from August 2007 to August 2010 for hepatitis C virus (HCV, n = 7), alcohol ( n = 5), nonalcoholic steatohepatitis ( n = 2), primary biliary sclerosis, polycystic kidney disease with liver involvement, hepatic adenomatosis, and ischemic hepatitis. Eleven were originally listed for LKT and 7 required listing for-kidney transplantation while awaiting OLT. Eight were on dialysis when first listed and 10 had a low glomerular filtration rate or known kidney disease. The mean calculated Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score for LKT was 31.2 ± 3.54. Seven had hepatocellular carcinoma in explants. Two patients had acute cellular kidney rejection that responded to treatment. Recurrence of HCV was documented in 5 patients within 6 months of LKT; 2/5 received HCV therapy (interferon and ribavirin) without renal allograft rejection. One-year liver graft/patient survival was 94% after LKT. One patient died at 6 months post LKT due to severe HCV recurrence. Last mean serum creatinine level was 1.35 ± 0.28 mg/dL for LKT patients. LKT is a safe procedure with favorable outcomes even in patients with a high MELD score. Transplantation of patients with a high MELD score due to regional variations in organ allocation results in additional use of kidneys by OLT patients. Improved organ allocation algorithms in OLT would help to reduce combined transplants, sparing more kidneys.