Abstract
Liver transplantation is a potentially curative treatment for patients with acute liver failure, end-stage liver disease, and primary hepatic malignancy. Despite tremendous advancements in surgical techniques and immunosuppressive management, there remains a high rate of post-transplant complications, with one of the main complications being biliary complications. In addition to anastomotic leak and stricture, numerous additional biliary complications are encountered, including ischemic cholangiopathy due to the sole arterial supply of the bile ducts, recurrence of primary biliary disease, infections, biliary obstruction from stones, cast, or hemobilia, and less commonly cystic duct remnant mucocele, vanishing duct syndrome, duct discrepancy and kinking, post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder, retained stent, and ampullary dysfunction. This article presents an overview of biliary anatomy and surgical techniques in liver transplantation, followed by a detailed review of post-transplant biliary complications with their corresponding imaging findings on multiple modalities with emphasis on magnetic resonance imaging and MR cholangiopancreatography.
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Abbreviations
- CT:
-
Computed tomography
- CHD:
-
Common hepatic duct
- CBD:
-
Common bile duct
- ERCP:
-
Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography
- FASE:
-
Fast advanced spin echo
- HASTE:
-
Half-Fourier acquisition single-shot turbo spin echo imaging
- HIDA:
-
Hepatobiliary scintigraphy
- LDLT:
-
Living donor liver transplant
- LHD:
-
Left hepatic duct
- MRI:
-
Magnetic resonance imaging
- MRCP:
-
Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography
- MIP:
-
Maximum intensity projection
- OLT:
-
Orthotopic liver transplant
- PTC:
-
Percutaneous transhepatic cholangiogram
- PTLD:
-
Post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder
- PBC:
-
Primary biliary cholangitis
- PSC:
-
Primary sclerosing cholangitis
- RAHD:
-
Right anterior hepatic duct
- RPHD:
-
Right posterior hepatic duct
- RHD:
-
Right hepatic duct
- RARE:
-
Rapid acquisition with relaxation enhancement
- SSFSE:
-
Single-shot fast spin echo
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Khot, R., Morgan, M.A., Nair, R.T. et al. Radiologic findings of biliary complications post liver transplantation. Abdom Radiol 48, 166–185 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00261-022-03714-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00261-022-03714-y