Adult-to-Adult Living Donor Transplant Cohort Study
Adult-to-Adult Living Donor Transplant Cohort Study
The study is being conducted for the following reasons:

 1. To determine the prevalence, course, and predictors of poor Health Related Quality of
 Life (HRQOL) outcomes associated with living donor donation.

 2. To collect data and biosamples prior to, during, and after a living donor liver
 transplant (LDLT) among all donors and recipients for use by other adult-to-adult living
 donor liver transplant studies and future studies.

 3. To study the effects of pressure and flow on the outcomes of LDLT.

 4. To characterize the differences between living donor liver transplant and deceased donor
 liver transplant in terms of recipient post-transplant outcomes including patient and
 graft survival, surgical morbidity, and resource utilization.

 5. To compare the long-term histological outcomes in recipients of LDLT and deceased donor
 liver transplant (DDLT) with recurrent hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection.

 6. To understand the history of pain management and to measure quality of care in pain
 control in living donors following partial hepatectomy.
The procedure of adult-to-adult living donor liver transplant (LDLT) is an extraordinary
 surgical therapy that involves the removal of 70% of the volume mass of an adult donor liver
 and its implantation into an adult recipient. A critical shortage of deceased donor livers,
 resulting in premature mortality among candidates in need of liver transplantation, remained
 the single most compelling force driving the need for adult-to-adult LDLT. Patients awaiting
 living donor liver transplant will be asked to enroll in this protocol at the time of
 identification of a potential living liver donor. Donors identified for the living donation
 will also be asked to enroll in the protocol. Donors and recipients who have already
 participated in a liver donation/transplant will be approached to join the protocol based on
 their clinical history.

 Optimizing donors' health-related quality of life is a foremost goal for liver donor liver
 transplant programs and an overarching aim for this study. The proposed A2ALL-2 Health
 Related Quality of Life (HRQOL) Sub-Study will build upon the A2ALL HRQOL measures employed
 to date. There is a critical need to look at the important difficulties that liver donors
 appear to face not only in the early years but in the long-term after donation. Individuals
 who have enrolled in the study and are going to donate a portion of their liver will complete
 a HRQOL battery of tests conducted over the phone by experienced staff at Northwestern
 University or the University of Pittsburgh. The tests are a series of questions given to the
 upcoming donor at baseline (prior to the liver donation), at Month 3, and Month 6, Year 1 and
 Year 2 following donation. The new donor will complete up to 5 interviews by the survey
 research team. Individuals who have already donated (long-term donors), and out three years
 since donation can be enrolled, but they have to have donated in 2002 or more recently.
 Long-term follow-up donors will complete up to 4 interviews by the survey research team.

 As LDLT moved from children to adults, it was observed early that the size of the graft was
 related to function in the recipient and that inadequate graft volume led to poor recipient
 outcomes. It has been found, that when the graft of the liver is too small, then the
 recipient can develop a number of symptoms including persistent ascites (fluid in the
 abdomen) and the graft becomes resistant to the passage of blood. This study hopes to develop
 and validate approaches that permit successful use of smaller donor livers and this is the
 principal goal of the surgical innovations portion of the study. The study will use standard
 surgical technique for the donor and recipient. Either right or left lobe donation and
 transplantation will be performed based on clinical parameters for graft selection.

 Biosample collection of serum aliquots and liver tissue samples will be collected from
 subjects during different timepoints in the study. The collection of patient biosamples and
 DNA samples provides a resource with which researchers can rapidly validate clinical
 hypotheses and algorithms for clinical decision making. The collections also advance the
 development of diagnostic and prognostic markers and therapeutics. In addition, collection
 and storage of DNA samples may increase the sample size and the resulting power of a study to
 identify genetic determinants of a disease. The samples will be stored in the National
 Institute of Diabetic, Digestive and Kidney diseases (NIDDK) Repositories.

 Hepatic C virus (HCV) recurrence after liver transplantation is universal in patients who
 have the virus pre-operatively. Chronic hepatitis evolves to a cirrhosis at a variable rate,
 but more rapidly than in non-transplant patients. The study will evaluate whether risk
 factors for aggressive HCV recurrence after DDLT also apply to LDLT recipients in long-term
 follow-up.

 Pain control in living donors following partial hepatectomy will be measured as quality of
 care. The transplant community has no objective information about pain management in live
 liver donors to use for quality improvement. A validated tool to measure quality of pain
 management will be used to assess multidimensional aspects of pain care.

 The following details the schedule of visits and the tests/procedures to be performed at each
 visit:

 Recipient (before the surgery)

 -  Provide blood samples for the NIDDK Biosample Repository.

 -  Undergo imaging studies either Computed Assisted Tomography (CAT) or a Magnetic
 Resonance Imaging (MRI) to measure the size of the liver and spleen.

 -  If one has liver cancer or hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), information will be collected
 about the tumor(s) and treatment.

 Recipient (day of surgery)

 -  Provide a sample of the new liver to the NIDDK Biosample Repository.

 -  Provide blood samples immediately before and during the transplant surgery to the NIDDK
 Biosample Repository.

 -  Allow the researchers to collect information about the transplant surgery.

 -  Allow the researchers to collect information about any complications that develop after
 the transplant.

 -  During the transplant operation, an ultrasound probe will be applied to the two vessels
 going to the transplanted liver and a measurement of how much blood flows through these
 vessels to the liver will be taken. After less than 5 minutes the probe will be removed.
 Additionally, measurements will be taken of the pressure in one of the vessels, the
 portal vein, with a very small needle inserted by the surgeon. These measurements will
 be recorded and analyzed as part of the study.

 -  During living donor transplant surgery, it is occasionally necessary to adjust the blood
 flow to the liver to improve the function. If the surgeon determines that the flow to
 the liver needs to be adjusted, the measurements described above will be repeated after
 the adjustments have been made. These measurements will be recorded and analyzed as part
 of the study.

 -  Additional tests which are standard of care may also be carried out at the site.

 -  If one has HCC,then information will be collected about the tumor(s).

 Recipient(immediately after the surgery)

 -  Provide blood samples during the first and second weeks after the transplant to the
 NIDDK Biosample Repository.

 -  Allow the researchers to collect information about the lab tests (liver function tests,
 blood counts,etc.).

 -  Undergo an ultrasound measurement of the blood flow through the portal vein on the day
 after the operation.

 -  Additional tests which are standard of care may be also carried out at the site.

 Recipient (throughout the course of the study)

 -  Provide blood samples to the NIDDK Biosample Repository at months 1, 3, and 12, and
 annually thereafter though August 2014. Approximately 10 teaspoons or 50 ccs of blood
 will be collected at each assessment.

 -  Undergo imaging studies at three months after the operation (either a CAT or MRI) of the
 liver and spleen to see how much the liver has grown since the transplant operation.

 -  Return to the transplant center for assessment at months 1,3, and 12, and annually
 thereafter through August 2014.

 -  Allow the researchers to collect information about any hospitalizations that occur after
 the transplant operation.

 -  Allow the researchers to collect information about any complications that develop after
 the transplant, through August 2014.

 -  Allow the researchers to collect information about any liver biopsies that are performed
 after the transplant.

 -  If the subject has Hepatitis C (HCV) and is post-transplant, and has had a liver
 transplant from a living donor or a deceased donor, the subject will be asked permission
 for review of the chart and collect information about the pre-transplant HCV treatment,
 the transplant operation, the immunosuppression medications, rejection episodes, and any
 HCV treatment received prior to consenting to this study.

 -  If the subject has HCV,and has given permission, the chart will be reviewed for liver
 biopsy results that occurred at least three years after the transplant.

 -  If a liver biopsy was not done at least three years after the transplant or if the
 recent liver biopsy was at least three years after the transplant but the most recent
 liver biopsy was more than one year the subject will be a asked to come to the center
 and get a liver biopsy done.

 -  If the study liver biopsy is done, or information on a previous biopsy has been
 collected the slides of the liver tissue obtained will be sent to the central
 pathologist to read. The name of the subject and any other identifying information will
 not be on the slides. It will have a code number on it that links back to the subject's
 clinical data.

 -  If the HCV subject is unwilling or unable to undergo a liver biopsy, then the subject
 will be asked to undergo a procedure called "transient elastography". Transient
 elastography is a non-invasive procedure during which a sound wave is transmitted to the
 liver through an ultrasound probe, and the time it takes for the sound wave to travel
 through the liver is measured. Transient elastography is considered to be an
 experimental procedure. However, it has been well-studied, and there have been no
 adverse events or injuries with its use.

 -  If the subject has HCV, some blood will be collected for storage in the NIDDK
 Repository. Approximately 10 teaspoons or 50ccs of blood will be collected at that time.

 Donor (before the surgery)

 -  The subject will be called on the telephone by the survey researchers to answer
 questions about health, and well-being as well as views about the donation process.

 -  The survey questions may take up to 45 minutes to complete.

 -  Provide blood cell samples for the NIDDK Biosample Repository. Approximately 12
 teaspoons or 60 ccs of blood will be collected.

 -  Undergo an imaging study before the operation (either CAT or MRI) to measure the size of
 the liver and spleen.

 -  Additional tests which are standard of care may also be carried out at the site.

 Donor (day of the surgery)

 -  Provide samples of liver to the NIDDK Biosample Repository.

 -  Allow the researchers to collect information about the donation surgery.

 -  Allow the researchers to collect information about any complications that develop after
 the donation.

 Donor (immediately after the surgery)

 -  Two days after the surgery, the subject will be asked questions about their
 post-operative pain.

 -  Provide blood samples one week after the donation surgery to the NIDDK Biosample
 Repository. Approximately 5-6 teaspoons or 25-30ccs of blood will be collected.

 Donor (throughout the course of the study)

 -  Provide blood samples to the NIDDK Biosample Repository at week 1, month 1, month 3, and
 month 12. Approximately 10 teaspoons or 50 ccs of blood will be collected at each
 assessment.

 -  Return to the transplant center for assessment at month 3, and annually thereafter
 through August 2014.

 -  Undergo an imaging study at three months after the operation (CAT or MRI) to measure the
 size of the liver and spleen to see how much the liver has grown back since the donation
 operation.

 -  If the subject entered this study prior to undergoing surgery, questions will have to be
 answered by telephone about quality of life after donation at 3, 6, 12, and 24 months
 following donation. These telephone interviews may take up to 45 minutes to complete.

 -  If the subject entered the study after living liver donation, questions will be asked
 over the telephone about quality of life upon study entry and then annually for three
 years. The telephone interviews may take 45 minutes to complete.

 -  Allow the researchers to collect information about any complications that develop after
 the donation operation, through August 2014.

 -  Allow the researchers to collect information about the hospitalizations that occur after
 the transplant operation.
Inclusion Criteria:

 Recipients

 1. Age 18 or older at the time of consent

 2. Has had a living donor identified and accepted and LDLT is planned

 3. Informed consent obtained

 4. Is listed for single organ (liver) transplantation

 Donors

 1. Age 18 or older at the time of consent

 2. Has undergone donor evaluation process and was accepted and donation surgery is
 planned

 3. Informed consent obtained

 Exclusion Criteria:

 None