Liver transplantation

A liver transplantation or hepatic transplantation is an operation that replaces a patients diseased liver with a whole or partial healthy liver from another person.

People who require a liver transplantation have one of the following conditions:

• Acute liver failure
• Chronic liver failure

There are three types of liver transplant surgery procedures:

• Orthotropic transplantation is the replacement of the complete diseased liver with a healthy organ
• Heterotopic transplantation involves the addition of a healthy donor liver at another site, while the diseased liver is left intact
• Reduced-size liver transplantation is most often performed on children and involves the transplanting of a part of the healthy donor liver into a patient

Living donor liver transplantation is possible because the liver, unique among organs in humans, will regenerate.

This means that when part of a liver is taken from a live liver donor for transplantation, the portion that remains in the donor can regenerate to its original size. The portion transplanted into the recipient will also regenerate to a size that fits the recipient's body.

Criteria for a donor for living donor liver transplantation:

• Must be in good physical and mental health
• Must be between the ages of 18 and 60
• Must have a body mass index or BMI that is less than 35
• Must have a compatible blood type with the recipient
• Must be free from the following:
  • Significant organ diseases, such as heart disease or kidney disease
  • Ongoing malignancy or cancer
  • HIV/AIDS
  • Hepatitis
  • Active or chronic infections
  • Active substance abuse