Living-Donor Liver Transplantation: Impact on Donor's Health-Related Quality of Life

Abstract Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate the health-related quality of life of living liver donors after living-donor liver transplantation (LDLT). Methods Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in 55 living liver donors operated on at our center between 2002 and 2009 was assessed using the German Version of the 36-Item Health Survey (SF-36). Results Donors after full right-lobe hepatectomy (n = 18) scored similarly to and without statistically significant difference from the German reference population, whereas donors after left lateral segmentectomy (n = 37) revealed statistically significant higher average score values ( P P P Conclusions Donors did not regret their decision to donate, because HRQOL was not negatively affected by the donation procedure. Living liver donors scored as well as or even better than the German reference population, but it was clearly shown that the development of postoperative donor complications and the postoperative recipient mortality had a negative effect on the HRQOL of donors.