OBJECTIVETo analyze the pathohistological changes of the livers and the clinical features of patients with biliary tract complications after their orthotopic liver transplantations.

METHODSFrom Sept 1998 to June 2005 clinical and pathological data of 173 post-liver transplantation patients with biliary tract complications were analyzed.

RESULTSBiliary tract complications occurred within 3-2920 days after the transplantation operations. These complications occurred within 1-30 days, 31-90 days, 91-180 days, 180 days at rates of 49.71%, 17.92%, 4.62%, 27.74% respectively. The complications were of inflammatory nature in 171 cases, (72.25%), and of obstructive nature in 164 cases (27.74%). The main pathological changes were epithelium degeneration of interlobular bile ducts, inflammatory cell infiltration in portal areas, proliferation of interlobular bile ducts, fibrosis in portal areas, cholestasis in small bile ducts and hepatocytes.

CONCLUSIONMany of the biliary tract complications of post-liver transplantation in our cases were of inflammatory nature and they often occurred within 30 days after the surgery. Obstructive nature complications often occurred in 90 days after the surgery and the prognosis of these cases was much poorer. The pathological changes of live tissues shown in liver biopsies are important for prognostic evaluation, differential diagnosis and categorization of biliary tract complications.