Volumetric graft changes after liver transplantation: evidence of adaptation to recipient body size

Abstract

This is the first and largest human study to verify the hypothesis that whole liver grafts adjust their size to match recipient body size 1 year after transplantation—a phenomenon that has previously only been observed in experimental animal studies and human case reports. The direction of volumetric changes is driven by the disparity between graft size relative to recipient body surface area and weight, as well as the intraoperative portal- and arterial graft perfusion.