Does a Positive Pretransplant Crossmatch Affect Long-Term Outcome in Liver Transplantation?

Despite the historical success of liver transplantation in the face of a positive lymphocytic crossmatch, increased incidence of acute cellular rejection and graft loss have been reported in this setting. Given the potential adverse effects of antirejection treatment, especially in hepatitis C virus-positive recipients, identification of predisposing factors could allow for better surveillance, avoidance of rejection, and potentially better graft outcomes.