Role of Postreperfusion Subcapsular Wedge Biopsies in Predicting Initially Poor Graft Function After Liver Transplantation

Preservation injury is a major contributing factor to primary allograft failure or poor initial graft function after an orthotopic liver transplant (OLT). We examined the histopathological findings from postreperfusion wedge biopsy specimens in relation to early graft function during the first postoperative week among OLT patients at our center. We reanalyzed subcapsular postreperfusion biopsy specimens from 88 patients to histologically grade the lesions. Grafts were grouped as good function, initial poor function (an alanine aminotransferase or aspartate aminotransferase level >1500 IU/L during week 1), or primary nonfunction (death or retransplantation). Only 1 patient experienced primary nonfunction; the remaining patients fell into the other 2 groups: ie, good function or initial poor function. When patients were compared using numerous morphologic and clinical features, no statistical relation was observed regarding clinical data on bile duct complications, donor type, graft volume, patient age, or type of stent. Histological features of neutrophilic infiltration of the subcapsular region, hepatocellular ballooning, and macro/microvesicular steatosis were not related to initial poor graft function; in contrast, there were prominent sinusoidal neutrophilic infiltrations and hepatocellular necrosis. Preservation-reperfusion injury (grade 2 or grade 3 neutrophilic infiltration) occurred in 78.6% of initial poor function patients and in 39.7% of good function patients. Subcapsular neutrophilic infiltration, a sign of surgical hepatitis, did not provide prognostic information about graft survival. Similar to other studies, we observed neutrophilic infiltration and necrosis away from the capsule to predict subsequent graft function.