Introduction: One of the challenges in organ retrieval is the organ which is harvested but is not suitable for transplantation. This can impose additional costs and waste the valuable time of transplant team. The aim of this study is to estimate the frequency of unused livers and the reasons for organ discard.

Materials and Methods: Between May 2010 and January 2013, a total of 605 livers were retrieved from deceased donors in our country. These organs were harvested by trained surgeons and transported to our hospital by plane or car. Core needle biopsy of the organs was done and decision to use or reject the grafts was done by the senior transplant surgeon according to pathology report, ischemic time, recipient condition, and graft appearance.

Results: Among 605 grafts, 75 (12.4%) livers were unsuitable for transplantation. The most common underlying causes of brain death were as follows: cerebrovascular accidents in 43, cardiac events in 12 and trauma in 15 cases. Male to female ratio was 40/35 and mean age of the patients was 51±12 (range 16 to 67). The cause of organ rejection were severe steatosis (>40%), necrosis and severe fibrosis in 61 (81.3%), 8 (10.7%) and 6 (8%) cases, respectively.

Conclusions: Old age, cerebrovascular accidents, and severe steatosis were among the most common reasons for organ discard in this study.