Matching the opposites: liver transplantation from a situs viscerum inversus totalis donor

TL;DR

This paper describes a successful liver transplant using a donor with a rare condition called situs viscerum inversus totalis, using a modified surgical technique.

Contribution

The paper presents the first use of the retroversus technique combined with direct biliary reconstruction in liver transplantation from an SIT donor.

Findings

A liver transplant was successfully performed using a donor with situs viscerum inversus totalis.

The retroversus technique combined with direct biliary reconstruction was safely applied for the first time in such a case.

The postoperative recovery was uneventful, demonstrating the feasibility of the approach.

Abstract

Situs viscerum inversus totalis (SIT) is a rare congenital anomaly. Deceased donors with this condition are often declined because of the technical issues in both the organ’s procurement and its transplant. Only eight cases of deceased donor organs with SIT were reported to be used for liver transplantation (LT). We herein present a case of LT using a graft from an SIT donor: a modified retroversus piggyback technique was used. A 15 year-old female was referred to our institution as a potential donor. An SIT condition was discovered during standard donor evaluation together with the presence of a complex triple arterial pedicle. Procurement operative time was 125 min, from skin incision to cross-clamp. Liver extraction occurred 32 min after cold flush. The recipient was a 56 year-old male affected by recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) on hepatitis C related liver cirrhosis. Position and orientation trials of the graft were made and it was decided to implant it with the retroversus technique. Direct duct-to-duct biliary reconstruction was achieved. The postoperative course was uneventful. To our knowledge, this is the first implant with retroversus technique combined to direct biliary reconstruction and the first repetition of that technique. Cases like this highlight how technical complexity can be overcome leading to successful management of difficult scenarios in a safe manner.

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