Major surgical complications after 73 consecutive liver transplantations

In order to evaluate the incidence of postoperative surgical complications requiring additional surgery, we report 73 consecutive liver orthotopic transplantations performed in 60 patients from June 1983 through June 1989. Transplantations were performed in 54 adults and 6 children for the following reasons: postnecrotic cirrhosis in 31, biliary diseases in 16, hepatobiliary malignancy in 7; Wilson's diseases in 3 and fulminant hepatitis in 3. Surgical complications requiring additional surgery occurred in 35 (58 %) patients with 53 operations. Twenty-two patients (36 %) had postoperative bleeding complications, 5 (8 %) biliary complications, one had a late artery thrombosis and 16 (26 %) had miscellaneous complications. The latter group included 6 abdominal hernias, 3 bowel perforations, 2 bowel obstructions, 2 cases of pneumothorax, 2 cases of chylous ascitis, one liver necrosis, one hepatic artery kinking, one peritonitis and one cardiac tamponade. The incidence of surgical complications was not significantly different in patients who underwent retransplantation as compared to those who had a single transplantation. We did not find a significant difference in surgical complication rate according to the preoperative liver disease. In comparison with the literature, in our series, we had a higher rate of abdominal hernia but a lower rate of biliary complications.