Current status of adult living donor liver transplantation

With the establishment of reasonable selection criteria and continuous technical refinement,living donor liver transplantation( LDLT) has been widely performed in the world. Right- lobe LDLT has become the conventional procedure performed at many centers. In recent years,due to the considerations of donor safety,other graft types have become important choices for adult- adult LDLT,especially left-lobe LDLT,and good outcome has been achieved. Although the minimally invasive technique has certain technical and safety issues,it will play an important role in donor hepatectomy due to its unique advantages. At present,the research data for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma( HCC) are controversial,but LDLT can be applied in the treatment for these patients. The therapeutic regimens for LDLT should be selected on the basis of the individualized principle and comprehensive analysis of donor safety,surgical risk,and the recipient's survival.