Hypothermic Oxygenated Perfusion (HOPE) of the liver can reduce the incidence of early allograft dysfunction (EAD) and failure in extended criteria donors (ECD) grafts, although data from prospective studies are very limited. In this monocentric, open‐label study, from December 2018 to January 2021, 110 patients undergoing transplantation of an ECD liver graft were randomized to receive a liver after HOPE or after static cold storage (SCS) alone. The primary endpoint was the incidence of EAD. The secondary endpoints included graft and patient survival, the EASE risk score, and the rate of graft or other graft‐related complications. Patients in the HOPE group had a significantly lower rate of EAD (13% vs. 35%, p = .007) and were more frequently allocated to the intermediate or higher risk group according to the EASE score (2% vs. 11%, p = .05). The survival analysis confirmed that patients in the HOPE group were associated with higher graft survival one year after LT (p = .03, log‐rank test). In addition, patients in the SCS group had a higher re‐admission and overall complication rate at six months, in particular cardio‐vascular adverse events (p = .04 and p = .03, respectively). HOPE of ECD grafts compared to the traditional SCS preservation method is associated with lower dysfunction rates and better graft survival.
Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate interstage liver function in associating liver partition and portal vein occlusion for staged hepatectomy (ALPPS) using hepatobiliary scintigraphy (HBS) and whether this may help to predict posthepatectomy liver failure (PHLF). Background: ALPPS remains controversial given the high rate of liver-related mortality after stage 2. HBS combined with single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) accurately estimates future liver remnant function and may be useful to predict PHLF. Methods: Between 2011 and 2016, 20 of 39 patients (51.3%) underwent SPECT-HBS before ALPPS stage 2 for primary (n = 3) or secondary liver tumors (n = 17) at the Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires (HIBA). PHLF was defined by the International Study Group of Liver Surgery criteria, 50–50 criteria, or peak bilirubin >7 mg/dL. Grade A PHLF was excluded, as it requires no change in clinical management. Receiver-operating characteristic curves were used to determine cutoff for HBS parameters. Results: Interstagely, 3 HBS parameters differed significantly between patients with (n = 4) and without PHLF (n = 16) after stage 2. Among these, the HIBA-index best predicted PHLF, with a cutoff value of 15%. The risk of PHLF in patients with cutoff <15% was 80%, whereas no patient with cutoff ≥15% developed PHLF. Conclusions: Interstage HBS could help to predict clinically significant PHLF after ALPPS stage 2. An HIBA-index cutoff of 15% seemed to give the best diagnostic performance. Although further studies are needed to confirm our findings, the routine application of this noninvasive low-cost examination could facilitate decision-making in institutions performing ALPPS.