Quality of life and psychological outcome of donors in pediatric living donor liver transplantation

Objective To evaluate the quality of life and psychological outcome of donors in pediatric living donor liver transplantation (LDLT).Methods The clinical data of 45 pediatric LDLT donors who were admitted to the Renji Hospital of Shanghai Jiaotong University from October 2006 to December 2012 were retrospectively analyzed.The quality of life and psychological outcome were evaluated using the Study Short Form-36 (SF-36) and the Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90) respectively.The donors were followed up at the out-patient department till May 2013.The influence of gender,age,height,body weight,body mass index,types of Hukou and medical insurences,operation time for donors,volume of intraoperative blood loss and time for follow-up on the quality of life and psychological outcome of donors were analyzed using the t test or analysis of variance.Results All the 45 donors received left lateral lobectomy.The operation time and volume of intraoperative blood loss were (302 ± 103 minutes and (187 ± 40) ml,respectively,and no one received blood transfusion.No complications and death occurred with the mean duration of hospital stay of (7 ± 2) days.All the donors were followed up with the mean time of 636 days (range,163-2413 days).The scores of change of health,general health perception,physical functioning,physical limitations,emotional limitations,social functioning,pain,vitality and mental health were 61 ±25,55 ± 17,89 ± 14,80 ±26,87 ±25,66 ±20,82 ± 18,63 ± 14,63 ± 15,respectively.The median scores of somatization,obsessive-compulsive,sensitivity,depression,anxiety,hostility,phobic anxiety,paranoid and psychoneuroticism were 0.25 (0-1.58),0.20 (0-1.60),0.11 (0-0.89),0.15(0-1.62),0.10 (0-1.00),0.17 (0-2.67),0 (0-1.00),0 (0-1.33) and0 (0-0.80),respectively.The scores of hostility were 2.67 in 2 donors,and the other patients had scores ＜ 2.5 in all the 9 aspects.The general health perception of patients whose follow-up time ＜ 636 days was significantly better than those whose follow-up time≥636 days (t =-2.448,P ＜ 0.05).Donors aged under 34 years had better social functioning and vitality and litter somatization and phobic anxiety when compared with those whose age ≥34 years (t =-2.180,-2.267,Z =3.106,2.537,P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions The postoperative quality of life and psychological outcome are favorable in donors in pediatic LDLT.The donors' age and follow-up time affect the SF-36 and SCL-90 scores to some extent,which might offer reference on donor selcection in pediatic LDLT. Key words: Liver transplantation, living donor;  Quality of life;  Psychological health;  Donor