Abstract:
Hepatic artery thrombosis (HAT) after liver transplantation
is a severe complication which may lead to graft infarction
and subsequent graft loss. It complicates 2–12%
of adult liver transplantations (1, 2) and subsequently leads
to retransplantation in 50–75% of patients (3). Fortunately,
innovations in Doppler ultrasonography and digital angiography
technologies have provided an accurate and
rapid method for detecting HAT before ischemic damage
of the allograft (4). Revascularization procedures that
can be performed once the diagnosis of HAT has been
confirmed include thrombectomy alone, intrahepatic arterial
thrombolysis with thrombolytic agents, creation of
a new anastomosis between a more proximal part of the
recipient artery and a more distal part of the donor hepatic
artery, and introduction of an interposition graft (3).
Early diagnosis is a prerequisite for these revascularization
strategies.
Description:
Digestive Diseases and Sciences, Vol. 50, No. 6 (June 2005), pp. 1177–1180 (C 2005)
