1 SIDE OF LIVER PREFERABLE

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One Side of Liver Preferable for TransplantsFriday, November 8, 2002

NEW YORK - Liver transplantations in which a living person donates a portion of his or her liver are more successful if the portion taken (graft) comes from the left lobe of the organ rather than the right lobe, Japanese physicians report. Left-lobe grafts result in less physical stress on the donor and cause fewer side effects for the recipient, according to their study.

Dr. Mitsuo Shimada and associates of Kyushu University in Fukuoka, Japan, compared data from 39 left-lobe grafts and 6 right-lobe grafts. After the surgeries, laboratory measurements that indicate liver dysfunction were higher in recipients of right-lobe grafts than in those receiving grafts from the left lobe.

Hospital stays were also longer for the right-lobe recipients (14 days versus 11 days), according to the investigators' report.

Additionally, the operations took longer in the right-lobe group and patients lost more blood during surgery. Eighteen months later, the transplantation was successful for 75% of those who received a right lobe and 85.6% for those who got a left lobe.

Shimada's group concludes that although left-lobe grafts from living donors are often small for adult recipients, they are feasible and may be ideal.