Objective: To study the efficacy of liver transplantation on end-stage hepatitis B related liver diseases, and the prevention and treatment strategies of hepatitis B recurrence after the transplantation.
Methods: The efficacy of combined treatment of lamivudine and hepatitis B immune globulin (HBIG) therapy on 24 patients who had received liver transplantation was retrospectively studied.
Results: All the 24 patients with end-stage hepatitis B-related liver diseases treated with lamivudine alone or combined therapy of lamivudine and HBIG showed normal liver function and 21 of them lost hepatitis B virus (HBV) markers. However, the remaining 3 patients became HBsAg positive again soon after liver transplantation.
Conclusions: Liver transplantation is effective for patients with end-stage hepatitis B-related liver diseases. Combined treatment of lamivudine and HBIG may prevent the recurrence of hepatitis B after the operation.