The pediatric liver transplant program at Children's Memorial has one of the largest and most experienced pediatric liver transplant teams in the world. It is the largest program of its kind in Illinois, performing more than 75 percent of all pediatric transplants in the state.
The program offers multidisciplinary, state-of-the-art, individualized care for patients. Our physician leaders are considered pioneers in the field and each garner more than 20 years of liver transplantation experience. This clinical expertise and kid-focused experience matters on multiple levels — better transplant outcomes often occur at centers with higher patient volumes.
Some highlights of our program include:
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Through June 2009, the team had performed 260 transplants.
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The team performs an average of 20 liver transplants annually.
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One-year patient survival rates are greater than 90.5 percent.
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The program consistently ranks among the top 10 centers in volume and has performed the 8th highest number of transplants in the nation since its inception.
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The program offers special emphasis on long-term follow-up care, making the team available to answer questions 5-20 years after transplantation.
Background on liver disease in children
- Serious liver disease affects approximately 1 in every 2,500 children in the United States. Illnesses such as biliary atresia (the most prevalent form of lethal chronic liver disease that strikes infants), acute viral hepatitis and other serious conditions can erode liver function leading to a spectrum of clinical problems ranging from impaired growth and development to death.
- Less than 15 years ago, most young children diagnosed with biliary atresia died before the age of two because they were considered too small to receive a liver transplant. Now, infants with this condition are routinely transplanted with high success rates. A major hurdle to overcome has been the scarcity of donors in this age group. This has led to advances in both cadaveric and living donor donation. Learn more here about biliary atresia.
For more information on liver transplants, please email us at
SiragusaTransplantWeb@childrensmemorial.org.*
* PLEASE NOTE: To protect your privacy, it is the policy of Children's Memorial Hospital to discourage the sending of protected health information via e-mail. For questions about possible referrals, please contact the nurses and other staff members at 1.800.KIDS DOC. (1.800.543.7362)