איתן מור(1), נתי בר-נתן(1), עזרא שהרבני(1), רחל ברגרין(2), אפרת הר-לב(2), יעקב אמיר(3), רבקה שפירא(4) 

(1)מח' השתלות, (2)היח' לטיפול נמרץ, (3)מח' ילדים ג', (4)ומכון גסטרואנטרולוגיה לילדים, מרכז שניידר לרפואת ילדים המסונף לפקולטה לרפואה סוראסקי, תל-אביב 

השתלת כבד בילדים צברה תאוצה בעשור האחרון, עם ההחדרה של השתלת אונות כבד מתוום חי ומפיצול הכבד מתורם מת.

במאמר הנוכחי מדווח על הניסיון הראשוני בביצוע השתלות כבד בילדים במרכז שניידר לרפואת ילדים.

לשם כך נאספו נתוני כל ההשתלות שבוצעו בין השנים 1996-2003 בוצע ניתוח של שיעור הישרדות החולים והשתלים, ופורטו הסיבוכים השונים.

בתקופה זו בוצעו 90 השתלות כבד, כולל 2 השתלות נישנות, ב-38 ילדים שגילם הממוצע 6.2 שנה. סוגי השתלים סווגו ל-15 השתלות כבד שלם ול-25 אונות כבד, הכוללות 12 אונות כבד מתורם חי, 8 שתלי כבד מוקטן ו-5 אונות של כבד מפוצל מתורם מת. במעקב ממוצע של 40 חודשים נפטרו 7 ילדים: 5 בחודש הראשון ו-2 נוספים 6 חודשים (מחלה נשנית בשתל) ו-13 חודשים (שאת המשלחת גרורות) לאחר ההשתלה. שיעור ההישרדות של החולים בסידרה זו היה 81.5% ושיעור הישרדות השתלים – 72.5%.סיבוכים בהשקת כלי-הדם כללו אירוע של חסימה מוקדמת ואירוע של חסימה מאוחרת של וריד השער (Portal vein) (5%), וכן 6 אירועים של חסימת עורק הכבד (15%). שלושה מבין 6 הילדים עם חסימה עורקית עברו בהצלחה ניתוח לסילוק הקריש, ואילו השלושה הנותרים עברו השתלה נשנית. סיבוכים בדרכי המרה כללו דלף מרה (5%) והיצרות דרכי מרה (15%). אחד הילדים עבר ניתוח לתיקון ההיצרות ו-4 אחרים עברו בהצלחה הרחבה אכגיופלסטית. ילד אחד נותר עם היצרות באחד משני הקטעים (Segments) למרות ההרחבה.

לסיכום, היכולת לנצל אונות כבד לצורך השתלה מאפשרת להגדיל את מספר השתלות הילדים המבוצעות בישראל, מיומנות גבוהה וניסיון מצטבר מבטיחים שיפור בתוצאות.

Experience with 100 Liver Transplant Recipients 

Ezra Shaharabani, Ziv Ben-Ari, Nathan Bar-Nathan, Alex Yusim, Rivka Shapira, Ran Tur-Kaspa, Zaki Shapira, Eytan Mor

Transplantation Dept., Liver Institute, Rabin Medical Center; and Pediatric Gastroenterology Institute, Schneider Children's Medical Center, Petah Tikva

Liver transplantation is the treatment of choice for end- stage liver disease. During the past 8 years we performed 102 liver transplants in 84 adults and 16 children. In the adults, 9 were combined transplants: 1 a liver-pancreas transplant for type I diabetes, and 8 liver-kidney transplants. In the children, transplants included 5 whole-livers, 5 left-lateral liver segments from living-related donors, 4 reduced-grafts of right or left lobes, and 2 split left-lateral segments.

At a mean follow-up of 31 months (range 1-96) 70 were alive, 3 had died during surgery and 15 during the first postoperative months. Mortality was due to primary graft non-function (7), sepsis (10), intracranial hemorrhage (1), tumors (4), recurrent hepatitis B (2), biliary strictures (2) and chronic rejection (1). The 1- and 4-year survival rates were 79.5% and 69.6%, respectively.

After transplantation, 10 developed biliary stricture (5 corrected by balloon dilatation) and 8 anastomotic stricture (7 corrected by surgery), and there were 2 multiple intra-hepatic strictures. There was hepatic artery thrombosis in 5, including 4 children. In 3, grafts were salvaged by thrombectomy and 2 others underwent re-transplantation. In those who survived transplantation by more than 1-month, recurrent hepatitis B was seen in 6 of 17 (35%) and recurrent hepatitis C in 12 of 19 (63%).

Thus, results of our first 100 liver transplants are similar to those reported by larger centers, showing that in an appropriate setting good results can be achieved by small transplant programs.

Living-Related Liver Transplantation

N. Bar-Nathan, Z. Shapira, E. Shaharabani, A. Yussim, Y. Ben-Ari, T. Sheinfeld, I. Zehavi, R. Shapira, G. Dinari, Z. Ben-Ari, R. Tur-Kaspa, E. Mor

Dept. of Transplantation and Liver Institute, Rabin Medical Center (Beilinson Campus), and Pediatric Intensive Care and Pediatric Gastroenterology Units, Schneider Children's Medical Center, Petah Tikva

Our experience with living-related liver transplantation is described. In 2 boys and 1 girl, aged 4-4.5 years with acute, fulminating hepatitis A, the presence of very severe jaundice (bilirubin levels > 18 mg%) associated with severe coagulopathy (INR>10) and encephalopathy indicated the need for urgent liver transplantation. In all 3 cases the left lateral hepatic segment of a matched blood type parent was transplanted. None of the donors suffered a serious complication postoperatively and all returned to full activity in 6-16 weeks. The post-transplantation course was uneventful in 1 child, but in the other 2 there was hepatic arterial thrombosis in 1 at 1 day and in the other at 8 days post-transplantation. Early detection of arterial thrombosis by Doppler sonography permitted salvage of the 2 hepatic grafts after thrombectomy and re-anastomosis. In 1 of these 2 children an anastomotic biliary stricture was found 2 months after transplantation. It was corrected at surgery and a percutaneous stent was inserted. All 3 children are alive with normal graft function at 2, 7 and 8 months post-transplantation, respectively. This initial experience indicates that living-related liver transplantation is feasible in Israel. The technique might help to solve our severe organ shortage for children awaiting liver transplantation.

Liver Allografts from Donors older than 60: Benefits and Risks

Eytan Mor, Dan Shmueli, Ziv Ben-Ari, Nathan Bar-Nathan, Ezra Sharabani, Alexander Yussim, Boris Dorfman, Ran Tur-Kaspa, Zaki Shapira

Transplantation Dept. and Institute of Liver Diseases, Rabin Medical Center, Beilinson Campus; and Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University

With limited organ resources and an increasing number of candidates for liver transplantation, the world-wide trend is towards using liver allografts from donors older than 60 years. This strategy, however, may be hazardous because of the known correlation between advanced donor age and graft dysfunction. Since January 1996, each of 5 patients received a liver allograft from a donor older than 60 years. Preservation time in these cases was shortened as much as possible and liver allografts were used only if there were no other potential risk factors for primary nonfunction. Mean cold ischemic time was significantly shorter in this donor group (7.8 hrs) than for livers from 28 younger donors (10.2 hour; p<0.01). 3 of the 5 grafts from older donors had normal function immediately. The other 2 initially had biochemical features of preservation injury, but graft function returned to normal within the first week after transplantation. All 5 patients currently have normal graft function, with follow-up ranging from 3-8 months. There was no difference between the 5 recipients of grafts from older donors and 28 adult recipients of grafts from younger donors in extent of preservation injury and in immediate graft function. We conclude that in countries with limited organ resources, such as Israel, liver allografts from older donors can be used within defined limits and minimal preservation time.