The usefulness of hepatobiliary scintigraphy in the diagnosis of complications after adult-to-adult living donor liver transplantation

Living donor liver transplantation has become an accepted procedure to overcome the shortage of adult donor organs. The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of hepatobiliary scintigraphy in the diagnosis of complications after adult-to-adult living donor liver transplantation. We analysed 82 hepatobiliary scintigraphy studies performed using technetium-99m DISIDA in 60 adult patients (44 males, 16 females) who had been transplanted with a living donor's hepatic lobe (right lobe, 32; left lobe, 28). Indications for hepatobiliary scintigraphy were abnormal symptoms and/or liver function tests (n=54) or suspected bile leak or biloma (n=28). Median interval between transplantation and scintigraphy was 69 days (9 days to 23 months). Scintigraphic findings were classified into hepatic parenchymal dysfunction, total biliary obstruction, segmental biliary obstruction, bile leak and normal graft. Scintigraphic findings were confirmed by liver biopsy in 17 cases, and by radiological and clinical follow-up in 65 cases. There were 29 events relating to biliary complications (six total biliary obstructions, eight segmental biliary obstructions and 15 bile leaks) and 19 relating to non-biliary complications (15 cases of rejection, two of infection and two of vascular compromise) in 38 patients. Hepatobiliary scintigraphy provided the correct diagnosis in all eight segmental and five of six total biliary obstructions, and in all 15 cases of bile leak. Of the 19 non-biliary complications, 16 showed parenchymal dysfunction regardless of the aetiology and three showed total biliary obstruction on scintigraphy. All but three of 34 normally functioning grafts were normal on scintigraphy. The diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of scintigraphy for biliary obstruction in the 54 patients with abnormal symptoms or liver function tests were 93% (100% for segmental, 83% for total) and 88% (35/40), respectively. The sensitivity and specificity were each 100%. (15/15, 13/13) for bile leak in the 28 patients with suspected bile leak or biloma. Hepatobiliary scintigraphy is an accurate diagnostic modality in the evaluation of biliary complications after adult-to-adult living donor liver transplantation, although it has limitations as a means of differential diagnosis of non-biliary complications.