Duct‐to‐duct biliary reconstruction in selected cases in pediatric living‐donor left‐lobe liver transplantation

:  The feasibility of D-D biliary reconstruction in pediatric LDLT using left-lobe graft has been discussed in few reports. The use of a trans-anastomotic biliary tube seemed to be the favorable method to avoid the complications according to these reports. We had performed left-lobe LDLT for seven pediatric cases and D-D was done originally. Three cases were converted to R-Y hepaticojejunostomy due to radical resection of hepatoduodenal ligament (n = 1) and severe kinking of D-D (n = 2). Four cases received D-D using 6-0 PDS interrupted sutures without external stent tube. One D-D case died of intra-cerebral hemorrhage 10 days after operation with a functioning graft. There was one biliary leakage in a D-D patient who required PTCD stent for 4 months without any sequale. From our limited experience, D-D biliary reconstruction without external stent tube in left-lobe LDLT is feasible in certain pediatric cases having normal extra-hepatic bile ducts. In smaller recipient with larger graft, the use of a trans-anastomotic biliary tube can prevent anastomotic kinking although we suggest R-Y biliary reconstruction is better for this condition.