Koch, Dominik Thomas

Background. Liver transplantation (LT) remains the most effective treatment for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), offering 5-y recurrence rates as low as 15%. Recent advances in organ preservation, particularly hypothermic oxygenated machine perfusion (HOPE), have demonstrated the ability to attenuate ischemia–reperfusion injury (IRI). However, whether HOPE can reduce HCC recurrence rates by mitigating IRI remains an open question. In this study, we aimed to compare oncological outcomes after LT for HCC with and without the use of HOPE. Methods. We conducted a retrospective cohort study including 137 patients who underwent LT for HCC with grafts from donation after brain death. Risk factors for HCC recurrence were analyzed using Cox regression. To assess the impact of HOPE on oncological outcomes, propensity score matching was used to adjust for baseline differences. Results. Cox regression identified Milan Criteria status as a significant predictor of HCC recurrence. Among the 32 patients in the HOPE group, no HCC recurrence was observed over a median follow-up of 2.11 y. In contrast, within the control group of 105 patients, 8 (7.6%) experienced recurrence within 2 y posttransplantation. Although this translated into a significant difference in time-to-recurrence after propensity score matching, recurrence-free survival and overall survival did not differ significantly. Conclusions. Our findings suggest that HOPE treatment of donation after brain death liver grafts may reduce early HCC recurrence after LT. Although only nonsignificant trends were observed in recurrence-free survival and overall survival within the first 2 y posttransplant, these results underscore the potential of HOPE to influence oncological outcomes. Long-term follow-up, prospective randomized controlled trials, and basic research are warranted to further elucidate the role of HOPE and IRI.

ABSTRACT Background Living kidney donation is a crucial option for addressing the global organ shortage and providing kidney transplantation for patients suffering from end‐stage kidney disease. Ensuring donor safety necessitates a comprehensive preoperative assessment of kidney anatomy and function. This study evaluates the relationship between kidney volumes derived from deep learning‐based MRI volumetry, intraoperative kidney volume measurements, split renal function measured by renal scintigraphy, and post‐donation eGFR. Deep learning‐based MRI volumetry is hypothesized to be a reliable method with good correlation. Methods This retrospective study analyzed 178 living kidney donors. Deep learning MRI volumetry‐based kidney volumes were compared with intraoperative volumes of the explanted donor kidneys obtained using the water displacement method. Additionally, MRI‐based volume ratios were compared with scintigraphy‐based split renal function ratios to determine their ability to predict the kidney with poorer renal function and post‐donation eGFR. Results Deep learning‐based MRI volumetry strongly correlated with intraoperatively measured kidney volumes (Pearson's correlation; r = 0.7671; p < 0.0001), confirming its precision in volume estimation. Although MRI‐based kidney volume ratios demonstrated only a moderate correlation with scintigraphy‐based split renal function ratios ( r = 0.4798), MRI volumetry correlated with 1‐year post‐donation eGFR. It tended to be better than renal scintigraphy ( r = 0.6829 versus r = 0.6191). Conclusion Deep learning‐based MRI volumetry is a reliable, non‐invasive tool for estimating kidney volumes in living donors, offering a radiation‐free alternative for preoperative assessment. While it differs from renal scintigraphy in evaluating split renal function ratios, its correlation with post‐donation eGFR tends to be better, supporting its potential role in living kidney donor assessment.