Fontan-Associated Liver Disease: Screening, Management, and Transplant Considerations.

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

8-11-2020

Identifier

DOI: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.120.045597; PMCID: PMC7422927 (available on 2021-08-11)

Abstract

Surgical innovation and multidisciplinary management have allowed children born with univentricular physiology congenital heart disease to survive into adulthood. An estimated global population of 70 000 patients have undergone the Fontan procedure and are alive today, most of whom are100% of these patients develop clinically silent fibrosis by adolescence. As they mature, there are increasing reports of combined heart-liver transplantation resulting from advanced liver disease, including bridging fibrosis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma, in this population. In the absence of a transplantation option, these young patients face a poor quality of life and overall survival. Acknowledging that there are no consensus guidelines for diagnosing and monitoring Fontan-associated liver disease or when to consider heart transplantation versus combined heart-liver transplantation in these patients, a multidisciplinary working group reviewed the literature surrounding Fontan-associated liver disease, with a specific focus on considerations for transplantation.

Journal Title

Circulation

Volume

142

Issue

6

First Page

591

Last Page

604

Keywords

Fontan procedure; heart transplantation; liver diseases; liver transplantation

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