OBJECTIVETo analyze risk factors of marginal donors in living donor liver transplantation.

METHODS98 living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) patients over the 7-year period from 2001 to 2007 in our transplantation center were retrospected. Potential risk factors, including donor age, gender-mismatch, steatotic donors and graft-recipient weight ratio (GRWR), and their relationship with 6-month patient survival rate were analyzed.

RESULTSThe 4 patients received livers with more than 30% steatosis died within 6 months, and 6-month survival rate was 91.7% in patients received livers with less than 30% steatosis. The 6-month survival rate was 86.9% and 87.8% in patients with grafts of GRWR more than 0.8% and in patients with graft of GRWR less than 0.8%, respectvely (x2=0.022, P more than 0.05), however, middle hepatic vein reconstruction significantly affected the survival rate of small-size-liver recipients (x2=10.612, P less than 0.01). Donor age and gender-mismatch were not associated with the survival rate of recipients (P more than 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSSteatosis is an important risk factor in living donor liver transplantation. Lower GRWR is not a limitation but we must reconsider its importance in liver transplantation. The donor age and gender-mismatch are not associated with the survival rate of recipients.