Dear colleagues and friends,
 
There is a lot for us to update you on this month. Abstract submission for our next Annual Congress in Istanbul is open and we look forward to receiving your original research and surgical videos.  You can also start applying to the 2020 International Travel Scholar Award and Congress Awards! Additionally, ILTS Committee applications will open soon! We are eager to welcome new innovators to the international liver transplantation community.

Enjoy your reading!
 

• Rising Star Symposium
• Young Investigator Award
• Travel Award

To be considered for one of the ILTS Congress Awards, you may opt in during the online abstract submission process.  Please note that applicants are only eligible to receive one award. Additionally, award winners for 2018 and 2019 are not eligible for the same recognition in 2020.

Our members
               
Why Should You Join ILTS? Vanguard Committee Member, Dr. Prashant Bhangui, talks about the benefits of being an ILTS member!
 

Launching ILTS Special Interest Groups! 
 

As of September 2019, seven ILTS Special Interest Groups topics have been approved and Steering Committees designated.

A dedicated email platform supporting discussion and communication in each SIG has been launched. These special email addresses aim to serve as confidential clinical and educational discussion forums, modelled on ASTS’s CenterSpan Listserv. We expect each SIG to establish online discussions and to assist with abstract selection for future ILTS meetings.

To be invited to join SIGs, please visit your ILTS profile page and indicate your selection.
 

---

American Journal of Transplantation
Trends in Deceased Donor Liver Enzymes Prior to Transplant: The Impact on Graft Selection and Outcomes.

We sought to characterize the trend in alanine aminotransferase elevations prior to transplant and the impact on the pattern of enzyme elevations on organ utilization and graft function. Read more
See commentary by Yoon Young In.

 
Transplantation (FREE TO ILTS MEMBERS)
Impact of Extra-anatomical Hepatic Artery Reconstruction During Living Donor Liver Transplantation on Biliary Complications and Graft and Patient Survival.

This study was designed to analyze the feasibility of extra-anatomical hepatic artery (HA) reconstruction in living donor liver transplantation (LT). Patients who underwent their first living donor LT at our center between January 2008 and December 2017 were reviewed. HA reconstruction was classified as anatomical or extra-anatomical reconstruction (EAR). Read more
See commentary by Gökhan Kabaçam.
 
 
Transplantation (FREE TO ILTS MEMBERS)
Intraoperative Hemodynamic Parameters and Acute Kidney Injury after Living Donor Liver Transplantation

BACKGROUND: Acute kidney injury (AKI) after living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) is associated with increased mortality. We sought to identify associations between intraoperative hemodynamic variables and postoperative AKI. Read more
See commentary by Ryan Chadha.
 
 
Transplantation (FREE TO ILTS MEMBERS)
Analysis of Risk Factors Affecting the Development of Infection in Artificial Vascular Grafts Used for Reconstruction of Middle Hepatic Vein Tributaries in Living Donor Liver Transplantation

To analyze the risk factors affecting the development of infection in artificial vascular grafts (AVGs) used for reconstruction of middle hepatic vein (MHV) tributaries in living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). Read more
See commentary by Yoon Young In.


Journal of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesia
Impact of MELD-Score Based Organ Allocation on Mortality, Bleeding and Transfusion in Liver Transplantation: A Before-and-After Observational Cohort Study

OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to evaluate the effect of the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD)-based allocation system on mortality, bleeding, and transfusion requirement in orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). Read more
See commentary by Ryan Chadha.


Liver Transplantation
Living Donor Liver Transplantation for Acute Liver Failure: Donor Safety and Recipient Outcome

In countries where deceased organ donation is sparse, emergency living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) is the only lifesaving option in select patients with acute liver failure (ALF). The aim of the current study is living liver donor safety and recipient outcomes following LDLT for ALF. A total of 410 patients underwent LDLT between March 2011 and February 2018, out of which 61 (14.9%) were for ALF. Read more
See commentary by Gökhan Kabaçam.
 

Hepatobiliary & Pancreatic Diseases International
Donor ductal anomaly is not a contraindication to right liver lobe donation 
 
Data of living-donor liver transplantation (LDLT) suggested that donor ductal anomaly may contribute to postoperative biliary complications in recipients and in donors. This retrospective study aimed to determine if the occurrence of postoperative biliary stricture in donors or recipients in right-lobe LDLT (RLDLT)+ is related to donor biliary anatomy type. We analyzed our RLDLT recipients’ clinical data and those of their graft donors. Read more
See commentary by Yoon Young In and Gökhan Kabaçam.


Transplantation Proceedings
Hyponatremia is Protective Against the Development of Portal Vein Thrombosis in Patients Undergoing Liver Transplantation

BACKGROUND: Both hyponatremia and portal vein thrombosis (PVT) reflect
the severity of liver dysfunction and are independently associated with increased morbidity in cirrhotic patients. In this study, we analyzed effects of hyponatremia on PVT development. Read more
See commentary by Ryan Chadha.

Last Month
1. Survival Following Liver Transplantation for Patients With Nonresectable Liver-only Colorectal Metastases. (link)
 
2. Intraoperative continuous renal replacement therapy during liver transplantation: a pilot randomized-controlled trial (INCEPTION). (link)
 
3. Noninvasive estimation of pulmonary vascular resistance improves portopulmonary hypertension screening in liver transplant candidates. (link)