Objective To approach whether the postoperative recovery processes of the living donors and hepaticpatients after right hepatectomy is similar. Methods The clinical data of consecutive cases from 2009 to 2010 in our liver transplantation center was retrospectively analyzed, including 40 cases who donated the right lobe without the middlehepatic vein (living donor liver transpalntation-donor group, abbreviated as LDLT-D group) and 80 hepatic patients forright hepatectomy, in which 40 cases were hepatic patients without cirrhosis (liver disease-noncirrhosis group, abbreviatedas LD-NC group) and 40 cases were hepatic patients with cirrhosis (liver disease-with cirrhosis group, abbreviated asLD-WC group). Preoperative liver function and general clinical data, intraoperative blood loss and transfusion, postoper-ative liver function, and complications were statistically analyzed in this study. Results The preoperative parameters of three groups were comparable. LDLT-D group experienced more intraoperative bleeding than LD-NC group 〔(765±411) mL vs. (584±242) mL, P=0.008〕, and was similar to LD-WC group 〔(666±224) mL, P=0.136〕. However, the average amount of blood transfusion products was similar among the 3 groups (P=0.108). The levels of total bilirubin and INR of LDLT-D group were higher than LD-NC group and LD-WC group on the first and third day after operation (P<0.05). The levels of ALT and AST of LD-WC group were higher than LDLT-D group and LD-NC group (P<0.05). The overall postoperative surgical morbidity incidence of LDLT-D group, LD-NC group, and LD-WC group were 30.0%(12/40), 27.5% (11/40), and 37.5% (15/40) respectively, and were not statistically significant (P=0.606). However, the ClavienⅢcomplication rate of LD-WC group was higher than LDLT-D group and LD-NC group 〔27.5% (11/40) vs. 7.5%(3/40) and 10.0% (4/40), P=0.024〕. Conclusions Liver function of living donors is injured more seriously during the early postoperative period. The total complication rates after right hepatectomy are similar among the living liver donation and hepatic patients with or without cirrhosis. However, the serious complication rate of cirrhotic liver recipients is higher than living donors and patients without cirrhosis.