Liver transplant

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Why it's done

By Mayo Clinic staff

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Illustration showing cirrhosis of the liver 
Liver cirrhosis

Liver transplant is a treatment option for people who have end-stage liver failure that can't be controlled using other treatments and for some people with liver cancer. Liver failure can occur rapidly, in a matter of weeks (acute liver failure), or it can occur slowly over months and years (chronic liver failure).

Liver failure has many causes, including:

  • Liver cirrhosis
  • Biliary duct atresia
  • Cystic fibrosis
  • Early-stage liver cancer
  • Hemochromatosis
  • Noncancerous (benign) liver tumors
  • Primary biliary cirrhosis
  • Primary sclerosing cholangitis
  • Wilson's disease

Sometimes the cause of liver failure is unknown.

References
  1. Rudow DL, et al. Critical care management of the liver transplant recipient. Critical Care Nursing Quarterly. 2008;31:232.
  2. Liver transplant. American Liver Foundation. http://www.liverfoundation.org/education/info/transplant/. Accessed Oct. 21, 2008.
  3. What I need to know about liver transplantation. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. http://digestive.nddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/livertransplant_ez/. Accessed Oct. 21, 2008.
  4. Koffron A, et al. Liver transplantation: Indications, pretransplant evaluation, surgery, and posttransplant complications. The Medical Clinics of North America. 2008;92:861.
  5. Arora G, et al. Management of chronic liver failure until liver transplantation. The Medical Clinics of North America. 2008;92:839.
  6. Brown RS. Live donors in liver transplantation. Gastroenterology. 2008;134:1802.
  7. O'Leary JG, et al. Indications for liver transplant. Gastroenterology. 2008;134:1764.
  8. Removal reasons by year. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network. http://www.optn.org/data/. Accessed Oct. 23, 2008.
  9. Transplants by donor type. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network. http://www.optn.org/data/. Accessed Oct. 23, 2008.
  10. Liver Kaplan-Meier patient survival rates for transplants performed: 1997-2004. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network. http://www.optn.org/data/. Accessed Oct. 23, 2008.

MY00349

Dec. 13, 2008

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