Pediatric liver transplantation: Review of literature 2005–2006

  Recent published literature in pediatric liver transplantation continues to demonstrate the unique areas that distinguish pediatric liver transplantation from the adult discipline. Published accounts of disease states leading to pediatric transplantation, outcome analysis, reviews of immunosuppressive drug trials, technical progress, organ allocation and policy all highlight unique aspects of pediatric care. We have chosen significant contributions from the several hundred scientific articles related to clinical pediatric liver transplantation published from August 2005 through December 2006 and summarized them for the reader. When appropriate, comments synthesizing common threads across one or more manuscripts were included and the reader is urged to refer to the actual manuscript for more in depth understanding. Nonetheless, we anticipate this review will serve as a suitable introduction to the most significant areas affecting care for children who await or undergo liver transplantation.