Small remnant liver volume after right lobe living donor hepatectomy

Background. Right lobe living donor liver transplantation has become a viable option for adult patients with end-stage liver disease, however, the safety of the donor is of paramount importance. One of the key factors in donor safety is ensuring adequate donor remnant liver volume. Methods. We retrospectively examined donors who had less than 30% remnant liver volume after fight graft procurement. Eighty-six right lobe living donor transplants were carried out in Chang Gang Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical Center, from January 1999 to December 2004. Results. Eight donors had less than 30 % remnant liver volume (Group 1) after graft procurement and 78 donors had remnant liver volume greater than 30% (Group 2). There were no differences in donor characteristics, types of graft, operative Parameters, and post-operative liver and renal function as well as liver volume at 6 months post-donation between the 2 groups. The graft weight obtained in Group I donors was significantly greater compared with that from Group 2 (P <.005). The overall donor complication rate was 6.98 %, and all the complications occurred among group 2 donors. Conclusions. The judicious use of donors with less than 30 % remnant liver volume is safe as a last resort.