RAPID COMMUNICATION Right Hepatic Lobe Donation for Living Donor Liver Transplantation: Impact on Donor Quality of Life

Adult right hepatic lobe living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) has rapidly gained widespread acceptance as an effective procedure for selected patients with end-stage liver disease. However, there are currently no published data on the effect of this procedure on the quality of life of donors.We report the results of a survey of our living liver transplant donors to determine the effect of right hepatic lobe donation on quality of life. We have performed 30 LDLTs since 1997; 24 of these have a follow-up of 4 months or longer. In August 2000, these patients were sent a questionnaire (including a Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Survey) regarding psychoso-cial outcomes and symptoms after surgery. Major compli-cations occurred in 4 of 24 patients (16%), and minor complications, in 4 of 24 patients (16%). Complete recov