Liver Transplantation After Hepatic Artery Infusion Pump Therapy: Single-Center Experience and Technical Considerations

Background Hepatic artery infusion pump (HAIP) therapy has become increasingly commonplace in the treatment of intrahepatic tumors. When combined with standard chemotherapy, HAIP therapy demonstrates a higher response rate than chemotherapy alone. Biliary sclerosis is observed in up to 22 % of patients, for whom no treatment has been standardized. This report describes orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) both as a treatment for HAIP-induced cholangiopathy and as a possible definitive oncologic treatment after HAIP-bridging therapy. Methods A retrospective study reviewed patients who had undergone HAIP placement followed by OLT at the authors’ institution. Patient demographics, neoadjuvant treatment, and postoperative outcomes were reviewed. Results Seven OLTs were performed for patients with prior HAIP placement. The majority were women ( n = 6), and the median age was 61 years (range, 44.5–65.5 years). Transplantation was performed for five patients due to biliary complications secondary to HAIP and two patients because of residual tumor after HAIP therapy. All the OLTs had difficult dissections due to adhesions. Because of HAIP-induced damage, atypical arterial anastomoses were required in six patients (2 patients used a recipient common hepatic artery below the gastroduodenal artery takeoff; 2 patients used recipient splenic arterial inflow; 1 patient used the junction of the celiac and splenic arteries; and 1 patient used the celiac cuff). The one patient with standard arterial reconstruction experienced an arterial thrombosis. The graft was salvaged with thrombolysis. Biliary reconstruction was duct-to-duct in five cases and Roux-en-Y in two cases. Conclusions The OLT procedure is a feasible treatment option for end-stage liver disease after HAIP therapy. Technical considerations include a more challenging dissection and an atypical arterial anastomosis.