Living donor liver transplantation for end-stage liver disease with severe hepatopulmonary syndrome: Report of a case

Hepatopulmonary syndrome (HPS) is a serious complication of terminal liver disease, which manifests as severe hypoxia without any pulmonary anatomic or functional causes. The precise indications for liver transplantation in patients with severe HPS also remain unclear. A 49-year old woman was referred to our department for investigation and management of liver cirrhosis with severe hypoxia (PaO2, 38 mmHg). A pulmonary perfusion scintigram showed an intrapulmonary shunt ratio of 40%, confirming a diagnosis of severe HPS. She underwent living donor liver transplantation using a right lobe graft donated by her 27-yearold daughter. Her post-transplant graft function was excellent, and her oxygenation recovered slowly but steadily. She was discharged from hospital on posttransplant day 39 with an SpO2 of 94% under 3 l/min of O2, delivered nasally. Despite the severity of the HPS, her postoperative recovery was smooth after the liver transplant.