Clinicopathologic study on complications of orthotopic liver transplantation in 54 patients with chronic hepatitis B viral infection

To study the complication incidence of 54 patients with chronic HBV infection following orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) and risk factors associated with HBV recurrence and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) recurrence or metastasis post-OLT.

The light-microscopic appearance of hepatic allograft biopsies in 54 patients with chronic HBV infection following OLT was examined. The related clinical data were analyzed. The incidence and occurrence time of post-OLT complications were studied. Furthermore, the relationship between hepatitis B virus recurrence and acute rejection and the relationship among HCC recurrence/metastasis, acute rejection, tumor diameter, and portal vein invasion were particularly studied.

Frequent complications of patients with chronic HBV infection following OLT were acute rejection [38 (70.4 %); occurrence time: 5–365 days], chronic rejection [1 (1.9 %); occurrence time: 10.7 months], bile duct complications [24 (44.4 %);occurrence time: 7–940 days], HBV recurrence [7 (13.0 %); occurrence time: 1–540 days], HCV infection [3 (5.6 %); occurrence time: 60 days, 60 days, 33 months], CMV infection [8 (14.8 %); occurrence time: 67–90 days], and HCC recurrence or metastasis [17 (31.5 %); occurrence time: 2–41 months]. At the end of 1 year post-OLT, 95 % of patients with post-hepatitis B cirrhosis were alive. At the end of 3 years post-OLT, 85 % of patients with post-hepatitis B cirrhosis were alive. However, at the end of 1 year post-OLT, 67.6 % of patients with post-hepatitis B HCC were alive. At the end of 3 years post-OLT, 50 % of patients with post-hepatitis B HCC were alive. The number of acute rejection episodes in patients with recurrent HBV infection and in those without recurrent HBV infection was 0.86 ± 1.46 times/patient and 1.07 ± 0.90 times/patient, respectively (p > 0.05); the number of moderate acute rejection episodes (RAI score ≥4) in patients with recurrent HBV infection and in those without recurrent HBV infection was 0.29 ± 0.49 times/patient and 0.50 ± 0.63 times/patient (p > 0.05). Incidence of patients with ≥3 episodes of acute rejection in patient with recurrent HBV infection and in those without recurrent HBV infection was 14.3 and 10.6 % (p > 0.05). Furthermore, the number of acute rejection episodes in patients with HCC recurrence or metastasis and in those without HCC recurrence or metastasis was 1.12 ± 0.93 times/patient and 1.06 ± 1.39 times/patient, respectively (p > 0.05). The number of moderate acute rejection episodes (RAI score ≥4) in patients with HCC recurrence or metastasis and in those without HCC recurrence or metastasis was 0.65 ± 0.79 times/patient and 0.65 ± 1.06 times/patient, respectively (p > 0.05). Incidence of patients with ≥3 episodes of acute rejection in patients with HCC recurrence or metastasis and in those without HCC recurrence or metastasis was 5.9 and 17.6 %, respectively (p > 0.05). The tumor diameter in patients with HCC recurrence or metastasis was 6.72 ± 3.40 cm; however, that in patients without HCC recurrence or metastasis was 3.55 ± 2.17 cm (p = 0.0047). The incidence of portal vein invasion in patients with HCC recurrence or metastasis and in those without HCC recurrence or metastasis was 68.75 and 33.3 %, respectively (p = 0.006).

There was no significant difference between HBV recurrence and acute rejection post-liver transplantation in patients with chronic HBV infection. There was no significant difference between HCC recurrence and acute rejection. The tumor diameter in patients with HCC recurrence or metastasis was significantly greater than that in patients with no HCC recurrence or metastasis. Portal vein invasion was significantly more frequent in patients with HCC recurrence or metastasis than in those with no HCC recurrence or metastasis.