Liver Transplant Programs

Liver transplantation is the surgical replacement of a badly diseased liver with a healthy liver or segment of a healthy liver from a human organ donor. Transplanted livers are most commonly obtained from deceased donors maintained on life support (i.e. cadaveric liver transplantation) but healthy individuals can also donate a segment of their liver to either a pediatric or adult recipient (i.e. living donor liver transplantation). Transplantation is done for a variety of liver diseases including acute (sudden) liver failure, certain types of liver cancer, and most commonly for cirrhosis of the liver. Cirrhosis of the liver can be caused by viruses such as Hepatitis B and C infection; autoimmune diseases such as primary biliary cirrhosis and primary sclerosing cholangitis; alcohol, and other diseases. Other forms of liver disease that can be successfully treated with liver transplantation include Wilson's disease (excess copper in the liver), hemochromatosis (excess iron in the liver), and various other rare metabolic and genetic disorders.

Transplantation allows many patients with debilitating liver disease to return to happy, productive lives. In fact, liver transplantation has been so successful that the need for livers has exceeded the supply of available donor organs for over 10 years. This shortage has occurred because the increasing success of liver transplantation has lead to the referral of more and more eligible patients each year. Also, the number of patients that develop liver failure and liver cancer in our country is increasing. Alternatives to transplantation such as bioartificial liver devices and stem cells are continually being explored. For now though, liver transplantation remains the only established means to treat severe, irreversible liver failure.