Digestive Diseases: Liver Transplantation

• When is a liver transplant needed?
• How are candidates for liver transplant determined?
• Which tests are required before getting a liver transplant?
• How does the waiting list work?
• Where does a liver for a transplant come from?
• What happens when they find a match?
• What happens during the transplant operation?
• What complications are associated with liver transplantation?
• What are antirejection medications?
• When will I be able to go home?
• What follow-up is necessary after a liver transplant?

The liver is the body's largest internal organ, weighing about 3 pounds in adults. It is located below the diaphragm on the right side of the abdomen.

The liver performs many complex functions in the body, including:

• Produces most proteins needed by the body
• Metabolizes, or breaks down, nutrients from food to produce energy, when needed
• Prevents shortages of nutrients by storing certain vitamins, minerals, and sugar
• Produces bile, a compound needed to digest fat and to absorb vitamins A, D, E, and K
• Produces most of the substances that regulate blood clotting
• Helps your body fight infection by removing bacteria from the blood
• Removes potentially toxic byproducts of certain medications

When Is a Liver Transplant Needed?

Liver transplantation is considered when the liver no longer functions adequately (liver failure). Liver failure can occur suddenly (acute) as a result of infection or complications from certain medications or it can be the end result of a long-term problem. The following conditions may result in liver failure.

• Chronic hepatitis
• Primary biliary cirrhosis (a rare condition where the immune system inappropriately attacks and destroys the bile ducts causing liver failure)
• Sclerosing cholangitis (scarring and narrowing of the bile ducts inside and outside of the liver causing the backup of bile in the liver which can lead to liver failure)
• Biliary atresia (malformation of the bile ducts)>
• Alcoholism
• Wilson's disease (a rare inherited disease with abnormal deposition of copper throughout the body, including the liver, causing it to fail)
• Hemochromatosis (a common inherited disease where the body is overwhelmed with iron)
• Amyloidosis (abnormal deposits of an abnormal protein called amyloid on the liver that disrupts normal liver function)
• Liver cancer

From the Doctors at MedicineNet.com

Cirrhosis Of The Liver - Learn about cirrhosis of the liver; including causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment and medical research. Source:MedicineNet Hepatitis C - Read about hepatitis C, a viral infection of the liver. Symptoms include fatigue, muscle aches, poor appetite, fever, jaundice, and easy bruising. Causes, diagnosis, and treatment information is provided in the information. Source:MedicineNet Fatty Liver - Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) refers to a wide spectrum of liver disease ranging from simple fatty liver (steatosis), to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), to cirrhosis (irreversible, advanced scarring of the liver). Article includes causes, liver biopsy and treatment options. Source:MedicineNet Read 33 more Liver Transplant related articles ... Kidney Trouble Short-Lived in Most Liver Transplant Patients Surgical Outcomes Depend on a Host of Variables