One year of experience with extended application and modified techniques of split liver transplantation.

As organ donation rates decreased in Europe, the authors started a systematic approach of liver splitting in their center in 1994. During this 1-year experience, 73 cadaveric liver transplantations were performed in 66 patients. Sixteen of these transplantations were the result of split-liver transplantation (21.9% of grafts, 24.2% of patients). Patient and graft survival rates at 3 months were 81.2% and 75%, compared with 89.1% and 76.9 % for whole organs. Two modified techniques were developed, based on the technique of living related liver procurement, and applied in 10 cases. With these new techniques, patient and graft survival rates were 90% and 90%. This systematic approach allowed the total number of transplantations in our program to be maintained, despite the decrease in organ availability.