Interventional Radiology Management of Adult Liver Transplant Complications.

Liver transplant remains the definitive therapy for patients with end-stage liver disease. Outcomes have continued to improve, in part owing to interventions used to treat posttransplant complications involving the hepatic arteries, portal vein, hepatic veins or inferior vena cava (IVC), and biliary system. Significant hepatic artery stenosis can be treated with angioplasty or stent placement to prevent thrombosis and biliary ischemic complications. Hepatic arterioportal fistula and hepatic artery pseudoaneurysm are rare complications that can often be treated with endovascular means. Treatment of hepatic artery thrombosis can have mixed results. Portal vein stenosis can be treated with venoplasty or more commonly stent placement. The rarer portal vein thrombosis can also be treated with endovascular techniques. Hepatic venous outflow stenosis of the hepatic veins or IVC is amenable to venoplasty or stent placement. Complications of the bile ducts are the most encountered complication after liver transplant. When not amenable to endoscopic intervention, biliary stricture, bile leak, and ischemic cholangiopathy can be treated with percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography with biliary drainage and other interventions. New techniques have further improved care for these patients. Transsplenic portal vein recanalization has improved transplant candidacy for patients with chronic portal vein thrombosis. Spontaneous splenorenal shunt and splenic artery steal syndrome (nonocclusive hepatic artery hypoperfusion syndrome) remain complicated topics, and the role of endovascular embolization is developing. When patients have recurrence of cirrhosis after transplant, most commonly due to viral hepatitis, transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) may be required to treat symptoms of portal hypertension. Online supplemental material is available for this article. ©RSNA, 2022.

[1]  Rizwan Ahamed,et al.  Friend or Foe? Spontaneous Portosystemic Shunts in Cirrhosis—Current Understanding and Future Prospects , 2021, Canadian journal of gastroenterology & hepatology.

[2]  A. Israni,et al.  OPTN/SRTR 2019 Annual Data Report: Liver , 2021, American journal of transplantation : official journal of the American Society of Transplantation and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons.

[3]  I. Tishkov,et al.  Post-liver transplant biliary complications: Current knowledge and therapeutic advances , 2021, World journal of hepatology.

[4]  S. Alzubaidi,et al.  Treatment of Hepatic Artery Stenosis in Liver Transplant Patients Using Drug-Eluting versus Bare-Metal Stents , 2021, Journal of clinical medicine.

[5]  M. Niemeyer,et al.  Endovascular Treatment of Hepatic Venous Outflow Obstruction after Liver Transplant , 2019, Digestive Disease Interventions.

[6]  L. Boussel,et al.  Primary angioplasty or stenting for hepatic artery stenosis treatment after liver transplantation , 2019, Clinical transplantation.

[7]  Ji Soo Lee,et al.  Stent insertion and balloon angioplasty for portal vein stenosis after liver transplantation: long-term follow-up results. , 2019, Diagnostic and interventional radiology.

[8]  S. Alzubaidi,et al.  Current concepts in portal vein thrombosis: etiology, clinical presentation and management , 2019, Abdominal Radiology.

[9]  S. Black,et al.  Left Renal Vein Ligation for Spontaneous Splenorenal Shunts During Deceased-Donor Orthotopic Liver Transplant Is Safe and Can Mitigate Complications from Portal Steal: A Case Series. , 2018, Experimental and clinical transplantation : official journal of the Middle East Society for Organ Transplantation.

[10]  R. Fisher,et al.  Primary Stent Placement for Hepatic Artery Stenosis After Liver Transplantation: Improving Primary Patency and Reintervention Rates , 2018, Liver transplantation : official publication of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases and the International Liver Transplantation Society.

[11]  H. Van Vlierberghe,et al.  Benign anastomotic biliary strictures untreatable by ERCP: a novel percutaneous balloon dilatation technique avoiding indwelling catheters , 2018, European Radiology.

[12]  T. Ponchon,et al.  Complex Biliary Leaks: Effectiveness of Percutaneous Radiological Treatment Compared to Simple Leaks in 101 Patients , 2018, CardioVascular and Interventional Radiology.

[13]  Joseph C. Ahn,et al.  Influence of spontaneous splenorenal shunts on clinical outcomes in decompensated cirrhosis and after liver transplantation , 2018, Hepatology communications.

[14]  H. Albadawi,et al.  Transplant artery thrombosis and outcomes. , 2017, Cardiovascular diagnosis and therapy.

[15]  D. Ganger,et al.  Pretransplantation Portal Vein Recanalization and Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt Creation for Chronic Portal Vein Thrombosis: Final Analysis of a 61-Patient Cohort. , 2017, Journal of vascular and interventional radiology : JVIR.

[16]  R. Salem,et al.  Interventional radiology in the management of the liver transplant patient , 2017, Liver transplantation : official publication of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases and the International Liver Transplantation Society.

[17]  Jian-hua Wang,et al.  Interventional Treatment for Hepatic Artery Thrombosis after Liver Transplantation. , 2017, Journal of vascular and interventional radiology : JVIR.

[18]  Wei-Chen Lee,et al.  Endovascular treatment for pseudoaneurysms arising from the hepatic artery after liver transplantation. , 2017, Asian journal of surgery.

[19]  S. K. Lee,et al.  An Update on Endoscopic Management of Post-Liver Transplant Biliary Complications , 2017, Clinical endoscopy.

[20]  M. Miyazaki,et al.  Portal vein stent placement for the treatment of postoperative portal vein stenosis: long-term success and factor associated with stent failure , 2017, BMC Surgery.

[21]  D. Samuel,et al.  Intention‐to‐treat analysis of percutaneous endovascular treatment of hepatic artery stenosis after orthotopic liver transplantation , 2016, Liver transplantation : official publication of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases and the International Liver Transplantation Society.

[22]  M. Abecassis,et al.  Portal Vein Recanalization and Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt Creation for Chronic Portal Vein Thrombosis: Technical Considerations. , 2016, Techniques in vascular and interventional radiology.

[23]  D. Sommacale,et al.  Vascular complications following liver transplantation: A literature review of advances in 2015. , 2016, World journal of hepatology.

[24]  E. Bluth,et al.  Primary stent placement for hepatic artery stenosis after liver transplantation. , 2015, Journal of vascular surgery.

[25]  S. Stavropoulos,et al.  Long-term outcomes of a benign biliary stricture protocol. , 2015, Journal of vascular and interventional radiology : JVIR.

[26]  S. Bramhall,et al.  Aetiology and risk factors of ischaemic cholangiopathy after liver transplantation. , 2014, World journal of gastroenterology.

[27]  H. Schlitt,et al.  Combined surgical and interventional therapy of acute portal vein thrombosis without cirrhosis: a new effective hybrid approach for recanalization of the portal venous system. , 2014, Journal of the American College of Surgeons.

[28]  E. Bluth,et al.  Endovascular treatment of hepatic artery stenosis after liver transplantation. , 2013, Journal of vascular surgery.

[29]  S. Duval,et al.  Stent placement versus angioplasty for hepatic artery stenosis after liver transplant: a meta-analysis of case series , 2013, European Radiology.

[30]  M. Horrow,et al.  Perioperative management of spontaneous splenorenal shunts in orthotopic liver transplant patients. , 2012, Experimental and clinical transplantation : official journal of the Middle East Society for Organ Transplantation.

[31]  M. Davies,et al.  Prevalence, presentation, and endovascular management of hemodynamically or clinically significant arterio‐portal fistulae in living and cadaveric donor liver transplant recipients , 2012, Clinical transplantation.

[32]  D. Valla,et al.  Portal vein thrombosis, cirrhosis, and liver transplantation. , 2012, Journal of hepatology.

[33]  W. Saad Nonocclusive Hepatic Artery Hypoperfusion Syndrome (Splenic Steal Syndrome) in Liver Transplant Recipients , 2012, Seminars in Interventional Radiology.

[34]  W. Saad Portal Interventions in Liver Transplant Recipients , 2012, Seminars in Interventional Radiology.

[35]  W. Saad Arterioportal Fistulas in Liver Transplant Recipients , 2012, Seminars in Interventional Radiology.

[36]  R. Merion,et al.  Portal vein thrombosis and liver transplant survival benefit , 2010, Liver transplantation : official publication of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases and the International Liver Transplantation Society.

[37]  H. Khalaf Vascular complications after deceased and living donor liver transplantation: a single-center experience. , 2010, Transplantation proceedings.

[38]  Johnny C. Hong,et al.  Vascular complications of orthotopic liver transplantation: experience in more than 4,200 patients. , 2009, Journal of the American College of Surgeons.

[39]  R. Zhai,et al.  Percutaneous portal venoplasty and stenting for anastomotic stenosis after liver transplantation. , 2009, World journal of gastroenterology.

[40]  J. Emond,et al.  Survival Outcomes Following Liver Transplantation (SOFT) Score: A Novel Method to Predict Patient Survival Following Liver Transplantation , 2008, American journal of transplantation : official journal of the American Society of Transplantation and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons.

[41]  A. Gurakar,et al.  Biliary strictures following liver transplantation: Past, present and preventive strategies , 2008, Liver transplantation : official publication of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases and the International Liver Transplantation Society.

[42]  W. Saad,et al.  Percutaneous management of biliary leaks: biliary embosclerosis and ablation. , 2008, Techniques in vascular and interventional radiology.

[43]  W. J. Duca,et al.  Prevalence, treatment, and outcomes of the hepatic artery stenosis after liver transplantation. , 2008, Transplantation proceedings.

[44]  M. Darcy Management of venous outflow complications after liver transplantation. , 2007, Techniques in vascular and interventional radiology.

[45]  Mark Wilson,et al.  Management of portal venous complications after liver transplantation. , 2007, Techniques in vascular and interventional radiology.

[46]  K. Sung,et al.  Early posttransplantation portal vein stenosis following living donor liver transplantation: Percutaneous transhepatic primary stent placement , 2007, Liver transplantation : official publication of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases and the International Liver Transplantation Society.

[47]  K. Ahrar,et al.  Splenic arterial interventions: anatomy, indications, technical considerations, and potential complications. , 2005, Radiographics : a review publication of the Radiological Society of North America, Inc.

[48]  Sung W. Shin,et al.  Percutaneous Angioplasty of Portal Vein Stenosis that Complicates Liver Transplantation: The Mid-Term Therapeutic Results , 2005, Korean journal of radiology.

[49]  D. Sze,et al.  Treatment of hepatic venous outflow obstruction after piggyback liver transplantation. , 2005, Radiology.

[50]  G. Dodd,et al.  Hepatic artery stenosis and thrombosis in transplant recipients: Doppler diagnosis with resistive index and systolic acceleration time. , 1994, Radiology.