Evolution of Liver Transplantation Over the Last 2 Decades Based on a Single-Center Experience of 300 Cases

BACKGROUND: Over the past 2 decades, there have been many medical advances in the field of liver transplantation. We conducted this study to evaluate the changes in liver transplantation over the last 2 decades. MATERIAL/METHODS: Three hundred cases of liver transplantation encountered between 1997 and 2019 in Nagasaki University Hospital were divided into 3 groups: Era 1 (cases no. 1–100), Era 2 (cases no. 101–200), and Era 3 (cases no. 201–300). Several items were compared among the groups. RESULTS: There were no cases of deceased-donor liver transplantation in Era 1, 1 case in Era 2, and 12 cases in Era 3. The proportion of virus-related disease was significantly lower in Era 3 compared to other eras. In contrast, the proportion of alcoholic liver cirrhosis was significantly higher in Era 3 (27%) than Era 1 (7%) and Era 2 (10%) (P<0.01). In Era 1, the right lobe was selected most frequently, but in Eras 2 and 3, the left lobe was more frequently selected. CONCLUSIONS: The evolution of the treatment and the transplant system in Japan is clearly reflected in the indications and types of donors for liver transplantation, even at a single center in Japan.