Frequency of and reasons behind non-listing in adult patients referred for liver transplantation: Results from a retrospective study

BACKGROUND Few studies have evaluated the frequency of and the reasons behind the refusal of listing liver transplantation candidates. AIM To assess the ineligibility rate for liver transplantation and its motivations. METHODS A single-center retrospective study was conducted on adult patients which entailed a formal multidisciplinary assessment for liver transplantation eligibility. The predictors for listing were evaluated using multivariable logistic regression. RESULTS In our center, 314 patients underwent multidisciplinary work-up before liver transplantation enlisting over a three-year period. The most frequent reasons for transplant evaluation were decompensated cirrhosis (51.6%) and hepatocellular carcinoma (35.7%). The non-listing rate was 53.8% and the transplant rate was 34.4% for the whole cohort. Two hundred and five motivations for ineligibility were collected. The most common contraindications were psychological (9.3%), cardiovascular (6.8%), and surgical (5.9%). Inappropriate or premature referral accounted for 76 (37.1%) cases. On multivariable analysis, a referral from another hospital (OR: 2.113; 95%CI: 1.259–3.548) served as an independent predictor of non-listing. CONCLUSION A non-listing decision occurred in half of our cohort and was based on an inappropriate or premature referral in one case out of three. The referral from another hospital was taken as a strong predictor of non-listing.