If you have liver disease, you may also experience cirrhosis, or scarring of the liver. Cirrhosis can lead to a significant decline in liver function and may even lead to liver failure.
At the UPMC Center for Liver Diseases, our experts can treat your cirrhosis in a variety of ways. But as your disease progresses, medicine and lifestyle changes may no longer help you, and your doctor may talk to you about a liver transplant.
If your liver is failing, the only cure is a liver transplant.
Nearly 9,000 people in the United States received a deceased donor liver transplant in 2019 alone.
During this surgery, doctors remove your failing liver and replace it with either a healthy liver from a deceased donor or a portion of a liver from a living donor.
Living-donor liver transplant is possible because the liver grows back, or regenerates, in just eight to twelve weeks.
Your care team can conduct tests and talk with you to find out if liver transplant is right for you.
Tests may include:
Liver transplant isn't an option for everyone. Doctors want to be sure that you will benefit from a liver transplant and that it's the best possible treatment option for you.
Your doctor might not recommend a liver transplant or may delay surgery if you are experiencing certain conditions, such as:
Good overall health is a central component to the liver transplant process and to the long-term health of your new liver.
The goal of a liver transplant is to restore healthy liver function. But, as with any surgery, there are some risks.
Risks of a liver transplant include:
With more than 14,000 patients on the national liver transplant waiting list, the wait for a liver transplant continues to grow. There are not enough transplants available for everyone who needs them.
At UPMC, we believe in the power of liver donations from living donors to close that disparity and save lives.
The benefits of living-donor liver transplant include:
Liver transplant is the only curative treatment for people with liver failure, also known as end-stage liver disease.
This includes anyone diagnosed with:
People with liver failure might have complications, such as:
After you receive approval for liver transplant, our experts will add your name to the transplant waiting list. You should be ready to go to the hospital right away, if you receive a call about an available liver.
Your care team will let you know what you should do to prepare.
Every three months, your doctors will need to check your liver again to update your status on the transplant waiting list.
Tests include:
If you're receiving a living-donor liver transplant, your care team will schedule your surgery a few weeks ahead of time.
Before your surgery starts, doctors will give you general anesthesia.
A doctor will also insert an intra venous catheter (IV), so your care team can give you any drugs or fluids you need.
If you're getting a liver from a deceased donor, the surgery might take as long as 12 hours. Tubes and equipment will maintain your body's functions while doctors remove your liver and replace it with the donated liver.
Living-donor liver transplant is also a long operation. Both the person receiving part of the liver and the liver donor have surgery at the same time, each with their own team of surgeons.
After your liver transplant, you will stay in the hospital while you heal from surgery.
There, doctors will:
Most people go home in a couple of weeks, as long as they don't have any complications.
Your doctor will talk with you about when you can get back to your normal routine.
You'll need to keep regular appointments with your doctor to be sure there are no problems with your new liver.
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