Introduction : adequate knowledge of hepatic vascular particularities is mandatory before preparing the patient for liver transplantation, significant anatomical variants being present in certain cases.

Methods : we present two cases in which venous malformations were seen. In the first case supranumerary hepatic veins (two inferior hepatic veins originating from segments 5 and 6) were encountered at the donor; in the second case type Ib Abernethy malformation has been described preoperatively at the receiver.

Results : the first case necessitated performing a supplemental anastomosis between the two inferior hepatic veins, the resulting structure being directly reinserted in the inferior cava vein; the second case had been diagnosed with unresectable liver adenomatosis in the presence of an aberrant portal vein draining directly into the inferior cava vein; the patient was successfully submitted to living donor liver transplantation using a left hemiliver.

Conclusions : the presence of venous abnormalities should be carefully investigated in both donor and receiver among cases submitted to living donor liver transplantations; modifications encountered in both donor and receiver might significantly influence the further technical details