Types of Liver Transplants
When you think of organ donation, you probably think of people who donate their organs after they die. You might have signed up to become a deceased organ donor when you applied for a driver’s license. But there is also a less common form of organ donation known as living donation.
Because it can regenerate, the liver is one of only a few organs and tissues eligible for living donation. To perform a living donor liver transplant, physicians remove one of your liver’s two lobes and transplant it to a recipient. After that, your liver and the recipient’s liver are both expected to regrow to normal size within months, and both will function normally.
Patients who undergo living donor liver transplant spend less time in the hospital and are less likely to need a blood transfusion during transplant surgery, according to a 2019 study. Most importantly, study participants who received a living donor liver transplant have higher survivals three years after transplant surgery than patients who received deceased donor livers. The three-year survival rate for a deceased donor liver transplant is 78%.
Who Needs a Liver Transplant?
To be eligible to receive a transplant, patients must have liver failure/end-stage liver disease. Ideally, they must have no other significant medical or mental health issues. A variety of conditions can lead to the need for a liver transplant, including:
- Acute liver failure
- Alcohol-induced liver disease
- Cirrhosis due to chronic hepatitis C or hepatitis B
- Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
- Liver cancer
Physicians use a tool called a MELD score to determine how urgently patients need a liver transplant. The MELD scores—which range from 6 to 40—helps determine how long patients spend on the national waiting list for a donated liver. Higher scores receive priority for deceased liver donors. Living donor donations can allow patients with a low MELD score to receive a liver transplant sooner than waiting on a deceased donor liver. Consequently, that can prevent liver disease from worsening or liver cancer from spreading outside the liver.
Becoming a Living Donor
If you’re thinking of becoming a living donor, you’ll work with a transplant team to determine whether you’re a candidate for the University of Maryland Transplant Center Living Donor Program. You must be 18–60 years old, your blood type needs to be compatible with your loved one’s, and your body sizes need to be similar.
As part of the donor transplant evaluation process, you will:
- Talk with your physician and the team at the transplant center about what to expect and how to prepare.
- Undergo tests to ensure you’re healthy enough to be a donor.
- Work with a living donor transplant coordinator to answer your questions.
You and the transplant recipient will undergo simultaneous surgeries. After that, you’ll both spend a few days in the hospital to recover.
Life After Transplant
A normal life after a living donor liver transplant is possible for both donor and recipient. Donors can expect several weeks of recovery time at home. They may need to take pain medication, avoid lifting heavy objects and take some time off work.
Transplant recipients will need to take medications called immunosuppressants to prevent their immune system from rejecting their new liver. They’ll also need to be ready to notify their physician about signs of rejection, including fatigue, fever and abdominal pain. Eating healthy, taking steps to avoid infections, getting recommended vaccinations and taking medications as prescribed can help recipients thrive after transplant.
