Quantitative evaluation of liver function by the XXXX and @entity17690 breath tests in the early stages of liver transplantation.

@entity1 @entity7352 @entity17690 @entity1853
OBJECTIVE: The early phase after liver transplant is considered the period of greatest risk for graft failure. In recent years breath tests have been proposed as a non-invasive method to assess liver function. In particular, the @entity17690 breath test is useful for evaluating the liver viable mass, and the @entity1853 breath test could be used to evaluate oxidative capacity of liver mitochondria. We aimed to perform these tests in the early phase following liver transplant in order to correlate the time course of these tests to the outcome of transplantation. METHODS: Twenty-three @entity1 undergoing liver transplant were enrolled. The @entity1853 and @entity17690 breath tests were performed on the days 1, 3 and 5, and 2, 4 and 6, respectively, after transplant. Results were expressed as the percentage of administered @entity7352 recovered per hour and as the cumulative percentage of the @entity7352 dose recovered over the test period. RESULTS: All but two transplants were successful in the short term and the cumulative percentage of the dose of @entity7352 progressively increased after transplantation, reaching values not significantly different from controls ( @entity1853 at day 5). In two @entity1 , primary non-function occurred: in these @entity1 the cumulative percentage of the @entity7352 dose did not increase after orthotopic liver transplant and the results of both breath tests indicated that it always remained significantly lower compared to that of other @entity1 . CONCLUSIONS: A combination of breath tests, exploring both mitochondrial and microsomal function, could be useful in the early phase after liver transplant in order to evaluate the graft outcome.
