Background: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the influence of donor age on liver regeneration and surgical outcomes in recipients and donors.
Patients and methods: Among 101 cases of adult-to-adult living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) between March 2002 and March 2011, according to donor age: younger (Y) <50 years of age or older (O) ≥ 50 years of age, the donors and recipients using right (R) or left (L) graft were divided into groups Y/R (n = 51) and O/R (n = 17), and groups Y/L (n = 26) and O/L (n = 7), respectively. Remnant liver volume (RemLV) and graft liver volume (GLV) were estimated by computed tomography (CT) volumetry. A disintegrin and metalloprotease with thrombospondin type I domain 13 (ADAMTS13) activities and von Willebrand factor (vWF) antigen levels were measured as factors reflecting thrombotic microangiopathy.
Results: Among the donors, RemLV/total liver volume (TLV) was lower in group O/R than in group Y/R, although there were no significant differences by t-test with the Bonferroni correction (rough p value = 0.02 at 6 months and rough p value > 0.05 at 1, 3, and 12 months). Donor age (≥ 50 years) was independently correlated with impaired remnant liver regeneration at 6 months in right lobe LDLT (p = 0.04). Among the recipients, GLV/standard liver volume (SLV) was lower during the first month, although there were no significant differences between the two groups by t-test with the Bonferroni correction (rough p value = 0.03 at 1 week and rough p value >0.05 at 2 weeks and 1 and 3 months). Donor age (≥ 50 years) was independently correlated with impaired graft liver regeneration at 1 week in both right and left lobe LDLT (p < 0.05). ADAMTS13 activities were lower in group O/R than in group Y/R, although there were no significant differences by t-test with the Bonferroni correction (rough p value = 0.049 on postoperative days (POD) 1 and 28 and rough p value >0.05 on POD 7 and 14). vWF/ADAMTW13 ratios were higher on POD 14, although there were no significant differences between the two groups by t-test with the Bonferroni correction (rough p value = 0.044 on POD 14 and rough p value >0.05 on POD 1, 7, 14, and 28).
Conclusions: The surgical outcomes using older donor livers for LDLT were comparable to those using younger donor livers. When using older donor livers, however, we should pay attention to the liver volume for recipients as well as donors, because older donor livers might have impaired regenerative ability.