Analysis of growth in children after orthotopic liver transplantation.

Growth after pediatric liver transplantation is an important factor in determining the quality of life. We collected data on height, skeletal age, and liver function of 45 consecutive pediatric transplant recipients and assessed the influence of primary diagnosis, liver function, and immunosuppressive regimen on their growth. Height and skeletal age were plotted as median standard deviation scores versus years post-transplantation. Growth, in terms of both height and skeletal age, were continuous without catch-up growth. Primary diagnosis was found to have no influence on height and poor liver function had a negative effect on both height and skeletal growth. A higher alternate day prednisolone maintenance dose also had a negative effect on skeletal growth. Thus, it can be concluded that a pretransplant lack of growth will not be restored and is an indication for early transplantation in endstage liver disease, especially in younger children.