Liver transplant

Alternative names:

hepatic transplant; transplant of the liver

Definition:

Surgery to replace a diseased liver with a healthy liver from a donor.

Description:

Liver transplants are new but are becoming an accepted transplant operation in the U.S. (over 1,000 cases per year). The operation is technically more difficult than a heart transplant or kidney transplant. The healthy liver is obtained from a donor who has recently died but has not suffered liver injury. The healthy liver is transported in a cooled saline solution that preserves the organ for up to 8 hours, thus permitting the necessary analyses to determine blood and tissue donor-recipient matching.

The diseased liver is removed through an incision made in the upper abdomen. The new liver is put in place and attached to the patient's blood vessels and bile ducts. The operation can take up to 12 hours to complete and requires large volumes of blood transfusions.

Indications:

A liver transplant may be recommended for:

• liver damage not due to alcoholism (cirrhosis or primary biliary cirrhosis)
• long-term (chronic) active infection (hepatitis)
• liver (hepatic) vein clot (thrombosis)
• birth defects of the liver or bile ducts (biliary atresia)
• metabolic disorders associated with liver failure (e.g., Wilson's disease)

Liver transplant surgery is not recommended for patients who have:

• heart, lung, or kidney disease
• insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM)
• other life-threatening diseases