Liver transplantation (LT) is the only curative therapy in patients with end-stage
liver disease with excellent long-term survival; however, LT recipients are at risk
of significant complications. Among these complications are biliary complications
with an incidence ranging from 5 to 32% and associated with significant post-LT morbidity
and mortality. Prompt recognition and management are critical as these complications
have been associated with mortality rates up to 19% and retransplantation rates up
to 13%. An important limitation of published studies is that a large proportion does
not discriminate between anastomotic strictures and nonanastomotic strictures. This
review aims to summarize our current understanding of risk factors and natural history,
diagnostic testing, and treatment options for post-LT biliary strictures.
Keywords
biliary strictures - anastomotic biliary strictures - nonanastomotic biliary strictures
- liver transplantation
