Living Donor Liver Transplantation: Donor Selection and Living Donor Hepatectomy

Use of living donors for liver transplantation has become a widely recognized source of organs in areas with critical shortage. Donor risks and morbidity remain the primary barriers to increased utilization. Donor evaluation including laboratory and radiologic testing is descri-bed here. We describe recent publications defining risks of donor hepatectomy. Techniques for potentially decreasing donor morbidity include the use of left lobes or smaller grafts and laparoscopic donor hepatectomy. This review summarizes the evolution of understanding donor risks with standard donor hepatectomies and discusses the new advances that may become the standard in the coming years.