Utility of Routine Gall Bladder Histopathology after Living Donor Hepatectomy in Liver Transplantation.

Intraoperative cholangiogram with cholecystectomy is a routinely performed procedure in living donor liver transplantation (LDLT).The objective of this study was to determine the frequency of gall bladder pathology in healthy living donors and whether routine histopathology can be omitted. This was a retrospective review of 366 donors who underwent donor hepatectomy between 2012 and 2016. Primary outcome of interest was frequency of abnormal histopathology findings in removed gall bladder specimen; and if their distribution was different with respect to gender, age and BMI. Male to female ratio was 2.1:1. Median age was 26 (18-50) years. Median BMI was 23.9 (15.7-35) Kg/m2. The most common finding was chronic cholecystitis in 189 (51.6%). Gall bladder pathology was more frequently seen in donors with BMI >25 Kg/m2, i.e. 69.3 % versus 30.7% (p<0.001). Due to high frequency of abnormal findings, gall bladder should be sent routinely for histopathology in healthy liver donors after cholecystectomy.