Background: Polycystic liver disease (PLD) may lead to massive hepatomegaly, abdominal distension, pain, and various degrees of dyspnea. The surgical treatment of this entity remains controversial.
Methods: We report our experience from a retrospective analysis of 23 patients suffering from PLD who were treated with liver transplantation (LT) in our institution.
Results: Liver transplantation for PLD patients with extensive hepatic involvement offers excellent symptoms relief. The actuarial 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rate after transplantation was 86%.
Conclusions: Our experience demonstrates that PLD patients with extensive hepatic involvement and who are treated with LT have good long-term prognosis and excellent symptoms relief. LT might be considered in severe PLD cases where conventional surgery is not a curative option, and it must be balanced against the risks of LT and lifelong commitment to immunosuppression.