The latest issue of Transplant International features a prospective study by Meszaros et al. (Innsbruck, Austria), where the authors tested the predictive value of liver histology and mitochondrial bioenergetics for liver transplant outcomes. Liver biopsies were assessed during static cold storage using conventional histology, real-time confocal imaging analysis (RTCA) and high-resolution respirometry (HRR). The authors found that the mean RTCA score was significantly lower in the cohort with early allograft dysfunction, indicating reduced cell viability. HRR was also predictive of early allograft dysfunction and correlated with RTCA score. Both RTCA and HRR should be considered as tools for liver quality assessment before transplantation.
