Live liver donors have troubles years later: Study

People who have donated part of their liver for transplant can experience physical and psychological complications years after the operation, according to a German study. -- PHOTO: REUTERS    

(REUTERS) - People who have donated part of their liver for transplant can experience physical and psychological complications years after the operation, according to a German study.

Almost half of the 83 liver donors surveyed had complaints ranging from pain and digestive problems to depression three or more years after surgery - but nearly all said they'd donate again, the study in the Annals of Surgery said.

In a living-donor liver transplant, a team of surgeons removes a lobe of the donor's liver to implant in the recipient. The remaining portion of the donor's liver regrows to full size within two months.

'There is a risk for some long-term complaints, which may be potentially controllable by workup modifications, improvements in surgical techniques and a thorough follow-up of donors at the transplant centres,' said Georgios Sotiropoulos, lead author and professor of surgery and transplantation at University Hospital Essen in Germany.