Impact of Donor Age on the Outcome of Living-donor Liver Transplantation: Special Consideration to the Feasibility of Using Elderly Donors.

BACKGROUND: The use of elderly donors (>/=60 years) in living-donor liver transplantation (LDLT) remains controversial. In this study, we aimed to determine the safety of surgery for elderly donors and the impact of donor age on LDLT outcomes. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 470 cases of LDLT at Kumamoto University Hospital from December 1998 to March 2017. RESULTS: Donors were divided into 5 groups according to age: 20-29 (n=109), 30-39 (n=157), 40-49 (n = 87), 50-59 (n = 81), and >/=60 (n = 36). At our institution, elderly donor candidates required additional preoperative work-up. There were no significant differences in the incidence of postoperative complications and duration of postoperative hospital stay among the 5 donor groups. Regardless of graft type, elderly donors were comparable to younger donor groups ( /=60 years of age can safely be selected as LDLT donors after meticulous preoperative work-up.