Perioperative immunological differentiation in liver cirrhotic patients who underwent living related liver transplantation.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Liver cirrhotic patients are immunological compromised hosts. Preoperative status in cirrhotic patients affects postoperative infection complications. This study investigates the perioperative immunological changes in the differentiation by MELD score. METHODOLOGY: Fifteen patients underwent LDLT and were divided two groups, Group I (n=5, MELD score >=20) and Group II (n=10, MELD score 20 showed a decrease of cytotoxic immunity with both diminution and delay of CD8+ T cells and Th17 helper T cells. The cytotoxic immunity of the patients with MELD score 20 might be at high risk of infection after LDLT.