Doppler Parameters of the Hepatic Artery as Predictors of Graft Status in Pediatric Liver Transplantation

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this article is to determine whether hepatic artery (HA) Doppler parameters can be used to predict pediatric liver graft status in the immediate postoperative (< 10 days) period and in the first year after transplant. MATERIALS AND METHODS. A retrospective review of the liver transplant database was performed to review operative, clinical, laboratory, histopathologic, and ultrasound findings at three time points after surgery: 3 days, 3 months, and 1 year. The association between HA velocity and resistive index (RI) with graft status was assessed. RESULTS. Of 120 children (54 girls and 66 boys; mean age, 3 years 2 months) enrolled, 70 had satisfactory graft status at the 1-year follow-up examination. HA velocity of 50–200 cm/s at 3 days was associated with normal graft status during the immediate postoperative period (p = 0.003), at 3 months (p = 0.0653), and at the 1-year follow-up examination (p = 0.0268). Vascular and biliary complications in the immediate postoperative period...