Comparing Portal Vein Assessment by Intraoperative Doppler and Transesophageal Echocardiography

Liver transplantation is usually associated with hemodynamic instability. TEE allows for a real time monitoring of cardiac structures and has become a standard of care for liver transplant patients. Society of cardiovascular anaesthesia and American society of anaesthesiologists recommends use of TEE in non-cardiac surgery patients with hemodynamic instability. Also, society for advancement of transplant anaesthesia (SATA) has suggested that TEE usage in cases of liver transplant is safe, effective and improves outcomes. TEE can also provide vital information relating to non-cardiac structures including liver, spleen, kidneys, portal vein, hepatic vein and other major vessels. As of now standard protocol is to do the transabdominal doppler for the assessment of portal vein after the liver graft implantation. Hence, the aim of our study is to compare the transesophageal echocardiography and transabdominal Doppler for assessing portal vein in living donor liver transplantation.