Antibodies and Liver Retransplantation

Despite reports that associate donor specific antibody (DSA) with rejection after liver transplantation, grafts are still allocated according to blood group (ABO) but not human leukocyte antigen (HLA) compatibility, possibly due to the absence of an easily discernible clinical association between adverse recipient outcome and DSA. Re-transplantation provides a test environment where the presence of preformed DSA or other antibodies is prevalent and events (graft loss) more common so that the effect of these antibodies on outcome should be apparent. This is an observational study of routine clinical care to determine these effects on our own patients. The goal is to perfect donor-recipient matching to attain the best outcome. In addition, we may develop hypotheses and potential treatments that would be tested in further clinical trials