When your child has a liver transplant

A liver transplant is a surgical procedure performed to replace a diseased liver with a healthy liver from another person. The liver may come from a deceased organ donor or from a living donor. Family members or individuals who are unrelated but make a good match may be able to donate a portion of their liver. This type of transplant is called a living transplant. Individuals who donate a portion of their liver can live healthy lives with the remaining liver.

An entire liver may be transplanted, or just a section. Because the liver is the only organ in the body able to regenerate, a transplanted portion of a liver can rebuild to normal capacity within weeks.

Why is a liver transplant recommended?

A liver transplant is recommended for children who have serious liver dysfunction and will not be able to live without having the liver replaced. The most common liver disease in children for which transplants are done is biliary atresia. Other diseases may include Alagille syndrome, alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency, Wilson's disease, hepatitis, and hemochromatosis.

And many children in the United States are waiting for a transplant. See the latest figures here at the Web site for The United Network for Organ Sharing.

Liver transplantation at Children's Memorial Hospital

Since August 1997, approximately 25 liver transplants have been performed annually, and in the first year alone the overall survival rate was 89 percent. Our pediatric liver transplant program is among the five largest and most successful in the United States.

Drs. Whitington, Alonso and Superina are world-recognized experts in pediatric liver disease and transplantation.