Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42789422›Full record

ArticleBJS open2026

Benchmarking paediatric living donor liver transplantation for establishing standards to expand access and save lives: retrospective global cohort study.

Zhihao Li, Omid Madadi-Sanjani, Yuan Liu, Dimitri A Raptis, Vasanthakumar Gunasekaran, Ashwin Rammohan, Seisuke Sakamoto, Hajime Uchida, Piotr Kaliciński, Marek Stefanowicz and 32 more

Abstract readMulticenter Study
In one paragraph

Article in BJS open, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

42 authors.

Zhihao LiDepartment of Surgery and Transplantation, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0002-5654-7043
Omid Madadi-SanjaniDepartment of Visceral Transplantation, University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
Yuan LiuDepartment of Liver Surgery, Renji Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
Dimitri A RaptisOrgan Transplant Centre of Excellence, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Vasanthakumar GunasekaranInstitue of Liver Disease and Transplantation, Dr Rela Institute and Medical Centre, Chennai, India.
Ashwin RammohanInstitue of Liver Disease and Transplantation, Dr Rela Institute and Medical Centre, Chennai, India.ORCID 0000-0001-9528-8892
Seisuke SakamotoOrgan Transplantation Centre, National Centre for Child Health and Development (NCCHD), Tokyo, Japan.
Hajime UchidaOrgan Transplantation Centre, National Centre for Child Health and Development (NCCHD), Tokyo, Japan.
Piotr KalicińskiDepartment of Paediatric Surgery and Organ Transplantation, The Children's Memorial Health Institute, Warsaw, Poland.
Marek StefanowiczDepartment of Paediatric Surgery and Organ Transplantation, The Children's Memorial Health Institute, Warsaw, Poland.
Nicolas GoldaracenaDepartment of Surgery, Division of Abdominal Transplant Surgery, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Cornelius J van BeekumDepartment of General, Visceral and Transplant Surgery, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-3347-2675
Felix J KrendlDepartment of Visceral, Transplant and Thoracic Surgery, Centre for Operative Medicine, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.
Itsuko Chih-Yi ChenDepartment of Surgery, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
Bryanna N DomenickDivision of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Alfred KowDepartment of Paediatric Surgery, National University Hospital, Singapore.
Kaihang WangUniversity of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Yuji SoejimaDivision of Gastroenterological, Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic, Transplantation and Paediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, Shinshu University School of Medicine, Matsumoto, Japan.
Katryn N FuruyaDepartment of Paediatrics, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA.
George V MazariegosHillman Centre for Paediatric Transplantation, UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
Vidyadhar Padmakar MaliDepartment of Paediatric Surgery, National University Hospital, Singapore.ORCID 0000-0001-5328-7920
Stephen C DunnDepartment of Solid Organ Transplantation, Alfred I. DuPont Hospital for Children, Wilmington, Delaware, USA.
Kim M OlthoffDivision of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Elizabeth B RandDivision of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Ian LeipnitzLiver Transplant Unit, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
Chao-Long ChenDepartment of Surgery, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
Deniz BalciDepartment of General Surgery, Bahçeşehir University Faculty of Medicine, İstanbul, Turkey.
Elvan Onur KirimkerDepartment of General Surgery, Ankara University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.
Silvio NadalinDepartment of General Visceral and Transplant Surgery, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
Stefan SchneebergerDepartment of Visceral, Transplant and Thoracic Surgery, Centre for Operative Medicine, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.ORCID 0000-0002-2619-8639
Debra L SudanDivision of Abdominal Transplantation, Department of Surgery, Duke University Medical Centre, Durham, North Carolina, USA.
Moritz SchmelzleDepartment of General, Visceral and Transplant Surgery, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.
Uta HerdenDepartment of Visceral Transplantation, University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
Lutz FischerDepartment of Visceral Transplantation, University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
Blayne A SayedDepartment of Surgery, Division of Abdominal Transplant Surgery, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Vicky L NgDivision of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Transplant and Regenerative Medicine Centre, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Grzegorz KowalewskiDepartment of Paediatric Surgery and Organ Transplantation, The Children's Memorial Health Institute, Warsaw, Poland.
Mureo KasaharaOrgan Transplantation Centre, National Centre for Child Health and Development (NCCHD), Tokyo, Japan.
Mohamed RelaInstitue of Liver Disease and Transplantation, Dr Rela Institute and Medical Centre, Chennai, India.
Dieter C BroeringOrgan Transplant Centre of Excellence, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Qiang XiaDepartment of Liver Surgery, Renji Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
Pierre-Alain ClavienDepartment of Surgery and Transplantation, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPaediatric liver transplantation increasingly incorporates technical variant grafts including living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) to address donor shortages. However, the technical complexity of LDLT and regional outcome variations remain challenging. In settings with such variation and ongoing debate, standardized benchmarks may guide decision-making for broader implementation. This study establishes benchmark cut-off values for paediatric LDLT outcomes to provide a validated framework for quality assessment and safe programme expansion.

methodsAn international analysis was conducted of paediatric patients who underwent LDLT at 19 centres between 2019 and 2023. Benchmark cut-off values were derived from 'ideal' patients at seven high-volume institutions, representing the best achievable results under optimal conditions. Surgical complications were graded using the Clavien-Madadi classification, compared against the standard Clavien-Dindo system for accuracy.

resultsIn all, 2665 patients were included, of which 1988 counted as ideal patients. The median recipient age was 10 (interquartile range (i.q.r.) 6-26) months with median weight of 8.0 (i.q.r. 6.6-11.9) kg. Biliary atresia was the most common diagnosis (68.8%), and most recipients (90.9%) received a left lateral segment graft. The 75th percentile of median centre values were used to define the following benchmark cut-off values: hepatic artery thrombosis ≤ 5%, bile leak ≤ 12%, biliary anastomotic stricture ≤ 6%, and 1-year graft loss or mortality ≤ 6%. Higher centre volume was associated with more selective patient inclusion and fewer major (particularly biliary) complications. An inverse correlation between case volume and failure-to-rescue rate highlighted the critical role of multidisciplinary perioperative management. The Clavien-Madadi classification proved superior to the Clavien-Dindo system, which overclassified grade III complications.

conclusionsThis study provides a framework to guide safe programme expansion, improve surgical quality, and reduce waitlist mortality.

Indexed as

BenchmarkingLiver TransplantationLiving DonorsChildChild, PreschoolFemaleHumansInfantMalePostoperative ComplicationsRetrospective Studiespaediatric liver transplantationtechnical variant grafts

Identifiers

PMID42789422
PMCPMC13614256

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.