Introduction to the special section on liver transplantation

Excerpt

Liver transplantation is the standard and ideal treatment for end-stage liver disease—currently more than 8000 cases per year are being performed in the United States. The abdominal radiologists play a critical role in the assessment of patients both before and after liver transplantation. In this special issue, the readers will find a collection of review articles written by nationally and internationally recognized experts in the field of liver imaging and liver transplantation. The content includes an overview of the current status of liver transplantation, a summary of the allocation strategies for cadaveric organs, and a review of guidelines for transplantation in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. The role of diagnostic imaging and interventional radiology in the pre- and post-operative setting is explored including the evaluation of living liver donors, an illustration of the post-transplant anatomy, and a review of the most common surgical complications. Furthermore, emerging and advanced imaging techniques are described, such as contrast-enhanced ultrasound, elastography, and radiomics of hepatocellular carcinoma. …