Characteristics of living liver donors in a national referral hospital in Indonesia: a 13-year experience with living donor liver transplantation.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma and biliary atresia lead to end-stage liver disease, which requires liver transplantation and is linked to increased mortality. Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital is the national referral center in Indonesia and is the only center that routinely performs living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). This study presents the characteristics of living liver donors (LLDs) in Indonesia.

Methods: Using the LDLT registry, we conducted a retrospective analysis of all approved donors from 2010 to 2022. The variables included clinical characteristics of the donors, graft types, and intraoperative and postoperative characteristics.

Results: The LDLT rate has increased from 5.8 to 8.8 procedures/year in the last 8 years. The average age of the 76 LLDs was 31.8 years. They were predominantly female (59%) and lived within a family relationship (90%). Pediatric LDLT was more frequent than adult LDLT (88% vs. 12%, respectively). Most grafts (86%) were obtained by left lateral sectionectomy, with a median ratio of remnant liver volume to total liver volume of 79.5% (range, 47.7%-85.8%) and a mean graft-to-recipient weight ratio of 2.65%±1.21%. The median intensive care unit length of stay (LOS) was 2 days (range, 1-5 days) and the total hospital LOS was 7 days (range, 4-28 days). The complication rate was 23%. No donor mortality was reported.

Conclusions: LDLT in Indonesia has increased over the years. The shortage of donors for adult-to-adult liver transplantation is due to cultural differences and challenges in finding eligible donors. This study aims to explain the eligibility criteria of LLDs and contribute to creating a national policy.