Title

A rare case report on diabetes insipidus following living donor liver transplantation in patient with alcoholic liver disease

Authors

Vivekanandan Shanmugam^1,2* & B. Aanand Shankar^3,4

Affiliation

¹Department of liver transplantation, RPS Hospitals, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India; ²Department of liver transplantation, Chennai Liver Foundation, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India; ³Department of anaesthesiology, RPS Hospitals, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India; ⁴Department of anaesthesiology, SIMS Hospital, Vadapalani, Tamil Nadu, India; *Corresponding author

Email

Vivekanandan Shanmugam - E-mail: drvivekhpb@gmail.com; Phone: +91 9790834566
B. Aanand Shankar - E-mail: draanandshankar80@gmail.com

Article Type

Views

Date

Received November 15, 2025; Revised December 15, 2025; Accepted December 15, 2025, Published December 15, 2025

Abstract

A rare occurrence of nephrogenic diabetes insipidus (DI) following liver transplantation despite elevated plasma antidiuretic hormone levels and normal brain imaging findings is of interest. On the sixth day post-transplantation, the patient developed polyuria, a hallmark symptom of DI, prompts a comprehensive differential diagnosis. Desmopressin therapy was initiated, leading to rapid symptom resolution and full recovery. This case underscores the diagnostic challenges of DI in liver transplant recipients, particularly in differentiating between central and nephrogenic forms. Conventional diagnostic tests for DI, like water deprivation, are not preferred in patients receiving liver transplantation. Therefore, clinical assessment, biochemical markers, and imaging play a crucial role in diagnosis. The patient was successfully managed with desmopressin, thus emphasizing the importance of early recognition of symptoms and prompt initiation of treatment to prevent complications in liver transplantation patients to ensure optimal outcomes. Thus, we show the potential for rare post-transplant complications and the need for individualized diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.

Keywords

Living donor liver transplantation, polyuria, nephrogenic diabetes insipidus, anti-diuretic hormone, desmopressin, case report

Citation

Shanmugam et al. Bioinformation 21(12): 4939-4944 (2025)

Edited by

P Kangueane

ISSN

0973-2063

Publisher

Biomedical Informatics

License

This is an Open Access article which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited. This is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.