New Challenges in Liver Transplantation

A special issue of Journal of Clinical Medicine (ISSN 2077-0383). This special issue belongs to the section "General Surgery".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 August 2024 | Viewed by 2102

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Surgery, Campus Virchow-Klinikum and Campus Charité Mitte, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353 Berlin, Germany
Interests: liver transplantation; transplant follow-up; viral hepatitis; biliary diseases; recurrent and de novo malignancy; rejection and operational tolerance; immunosuppression
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Guest Editor
Department of Surgery, Campus Virchow-Klinikum and Campus Charité Mitte, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353 Berlin, Germany
Interests: liver transplantation; immunosuppression; viral hepatitis; surgical oncology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Since the first successful liver transplantation, this curative treatment concept has become a true success story for patients with an end-stage liver disease. Thanks to the establishment of surgical standards, the introduction of potent immunosuppressive drugs and the definition of follow-up, considerable improvements have been achieved not only in short-term, but also in long-term survival. Organ allocation, surgical and intensive care management, and immunosuppression, as well as long-term aftercare, have been greatly standardized.

Although it may seem that the most important quantum leaps in liver transplantation have already been accomplished, new developments and challenges continue to emerge, and their implications for liver transplant centers remain controversial: NASH (Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis) and NAFLD (Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease) are increasingly important in Western countries, and their mechanisms and especially therapeutical options have yet to be explored. Changing demographics and their consequences on organ shortage, allocation and organ quality have greatly influenced research from machine-perfusion to patient selection criteria. Further, evaluations of expanding indication to oncological diseases have not shown visible progress and still leave much room to explore. The impact of robotic surgery for living donor liver transplantation has emerged as a valuable surgical improvement, while the need for a more tailored and individualized immunosuppressive regimen for optimal long-time outcome is gaining significance.

We would like to invite you and your co-workers to submit original research articles that address unresolved issues in transplant and recipient health in the short and long term, critical revisions of existing concepts, and visions in the field of liver transplantation to the Special Issue “New Challenges in Liver Transplantation”, which sets out to investigate these research areas and the scientific endeavors that are required to advance liver transplantation. We also encourage the submission of original manuscripts ranging from basic to clinical research focusing on the technical aspects of organ preservation, rejection and tolerance, biliary tract diseases, and the recurrence of underlying disease and de novo oncology.

Dr. Dennis Eurich
Dr. Ramin Raul Ossami Saidy
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • liver transplantation
  • end-stage liver disease
  • machine perfusion
  • tolerance
  • recurrence of underlying disease
  • viral hepatitis
  • ischemic-type biliary lesions
  • immunosuppression
  • de novo tumor

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 900 KiB  
Article
How to Estimate the Probability of Tolerance Long-Term in Liver Transplant Recipients
by Dennis Eurich, Stephan Schlickeiser, Ramin Raul Ossami Saidy, Deniz Uluk, Florian Rossner, Maximilian Postel, Wenzel Schoening, Robert Oellinger, Georg Lurje, Johann Pratschke, Petra Reinke and Natalie Gruen
J. Clin. Med. 2023, 12(20), 6546; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm12206546 - 16 Oct 2023
Viewed by 933
Abstract
Background: Operational tolerance as the ability to accept the liver transplant without pharmacological immunosuppression is a common phenomenon in the long-term course. However, it is currently underutilized due to a lack of simple diagnostic support and fear of rejection despite its recognized benefits. [...] Read more.
Background: Operational tolerance as the ability to accept the liver transplant without pharmacological immunosuppression is a common phenomenon in the long-term course. However, it is currently underutilized due to a lack of simple diagnostic support and fear of rejection despite its recognized benefits. In the present work, we present a simple score based on clinical parameters to estimate the probability of tolerance. Patients and methods: In order to estimate the probability of tolerance, clinical parameters from 82 patients after LT who underwent weaning from the IS for various reasons at our transplant center were extracted from a prospectively organized database and analyzed retrospectively. Univariate testing as well as multivariable logistic regression analysis were performed to assess the association of clinical variables with tolerance in the real-world setting. Results: The most important factors associated with tolerance after multivariable logistic regression were IS monotherapy, male sex, history of hepatocellular carcinoma pretransplant, time since LT, and lack of rejection. These five predictors were retained in an approximate model that could be presented as a simple scoring system to estimate the clinical probability of tolerance or IS dispensability with good predictive performance (AUC = 0.89). Conclusion: In parallel with the existence of a tremendous need for further research on tolerance mechanisms, the presented score, after validation in a larger collective preferably in a multicenter setting, could be easily and safely applied in the real world and already now address all three levels of prevention in LT patients over the long-term course. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Challenges in Liver Transplantation)
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16 pages, 1001 KiB  
Article
Cytomegalovirus Disease as a Risk Factor for Invasive Fungal Infections in Liver Transplant Recipients under Targeted Antiviral and Antimycotic Prophylaxis
by Robert Breitkopf, Benedikt Treml, Zoran Bukumiric, Nicole Innerhofer, Margot Fodor, Aleksandra Radovanovic Spurnic and Sasa Rajsic
J. Clin. Med. 2023, 12(16), 5198; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm12165198 - 09 Aug 2023
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Abstract
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is the most common opportunistic infection that occurs following orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). In addition to the direct infection-related symptoms, it also triggers an immunological response that may contribute to adverse clinical outcomes. CMV disease has been described as a [...] Read more.
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is the most common opportunistic infection that occurs following orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). In addition to the direct infection-related symptoms, it also triggers an immunological response that may contribute to adverse clinical outcomes. CMV disease has been described as a predictor of invasive fungal infections (IFIs) but its role under an antiviral prophylaxis regimen is unclear. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the medical records of 214 adult liver transplant recipients (LTRs). Universal antiviral prophylaxis was utilized in recipients with CMV mismatch; intermediate- and low-risk patients received pre-emptive treatment. Results: Six percent of patients developed CMV disease independent of their serostatus. The occurrence of CMV disease was associated with elevated virus load and increased incidence of leucopenia and IFIs. Furthermore, CMV disease was associated with higher one-year mortality and increased relapse rates within the first year of OLT. Conclusions: CMV disease causes significant morbidity and mortality in LTRs, directly affecting transplant outcomes. Due to the increased risk of IFIs, antifungal prophylaxis for CMV disease may be appropriate. Postoperative CMV monitoring should be considered after massive transfusion, even in low-risk serostatus constellations. In case of biliary complications, biliary CMV monitoring may be appropriate in the case of CMV-DNA blood-negative patients. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Challenges in Liver Transplantation)
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