Outcome of Liver Transplantation in Older Recipients

In reply

We thank Dr Herrero and colleagues for their comments. Based on unpublished data from their center, they conclude that chronological age has an evident influence on outcome after liver transplantation. Although we find their observations interesting, they provide little detail to make a true comparison with our study. In our study, we compared the characteristics and outcomes of 62 septuagenarians with a cohort of 864 patients aged 50 to 59 years during an 18-year period. We have analyzed the indication for transplantation and Model for End-Stage Liver Disease score of each patient. While patient survival data are provided by the authors, these other important prognostic factors on outcome are not. Analysis of these characteristics is essential to compare their results with our published findings. Certainly, center-specific differences in patient selection, operative techniques, postoperative management, and immunosuppression may also have led to a statistically significant difference between their groups that we did not find in our study; however, without a complete data set, a valid comparison cannot be made.