Prognosis of Children Undergoing Liver Transplantation: A 30-Year European Study

OBJECTIVES The European Liver Transplant Registry has been collecting data on virtually all pediatric liver transplant (PLT) procedures in Europe since 1968. We analyzed patient outcome over time and identified parameters associated with long-term patient outcome. METHODS Participating centers and European organ-sharing organizations provided retrospective data to the European Liver Transplant Registry. To identify trends, data were grouped into consecutive time spans: era A: before 2000, era B: 2000 to 2009, and the current era, era C: since 2010. RESULTS From June 1968 until December 2017, 16 641 PLT were performed on 14 515 children by 133 centers. The children CONCLUSIONS PLT has become a highly successful medical treatment that should be considered for all children with end-stage liver disease. The main challenge for further improving the prognosis remains the early postoperative period.