Increased bile duct complications and/or chronic rejection in crossmatch positive human liver allografts.

B ILE duct complications continue to be a significant cause of bile morbidity after orthotopic liver transplantation, with an incidence of 7% to 34% of patients. 1•2 Bile of duct obstruction, usually due to strictures, biliary leakage, and/or cholangitis, accounts for the majority of these complications. In contrast. although low incidence of chronic rejection has been reported under FK 506-based immunosuppression in early trials of liver transplantation,) chronic rejection after liver transplantation occurs in only 5% to 9% of cases. and it remains one of the most common causes of graft loss.~·5 There have been many conflicting recent reports concerning a relationship between the bile duct-related complications or ductopenic chronic rejection and a positive crossmatch.6 s. We investigated the outcome of liver grafts from positive crossmatch donors. focusing on biliary complications and ductopenic chronic rejection, and we compared the results to a consecutive negative crossmatch control group at the same time.