Donors' Quality of Life Evaluated by Short Form-36 Analysis After Living Donor Liver Transplantation in a Single-Center Experience

Background and Purpose. The purpose of this study was to compare the quality of life of donors using the Short Form 36 (SF-36) analysis between the left and right graft periods of living donor liver transplantation. Patients and Methods. In the left graft period (July 1991 to July 2003), 68 donors were eligible for analysis and 76 were eligible in the right graft period (August 2003 to October 2010). Nine right lobe grafts were included in the left graft period, and 52 right lobe grafts were included in the right graft period. We investigated the risks of donation and evaluated the following: blood loss, operation time, postoperative liver function, and duration of hospitalization. We also assessed quality of life in donors, who were mailed a structured questionnaire and the SF-36. Results. Ten of the 68 donors in the left graft period and 12 of the 76 in the right graft period had postoperative complications. Most postoperative complications were treated without surgical procedures. There was no donor death in our series. Forty-eight donors in the left graft period and 36 in the right graft period responded to our investigation. Compared with published Japanese norms in SF-36, our donors scored similar or higher than the general population in both groups. Two donors in the left graft period and one in the right graft period regretted their decisions to donate. All donors returned to normalcy. Conclusions. These results suggested that the donors' quality of life was guaranteed in terms of the SF-36 investigation regardless of the donation period in our series.