Liver Disease and Transplantation

There are more than 100 types of liver disease and many lead to irreversible damage. Liver transplantation is considered the most difficult and challenging of the major organ transplants. The liver is about ten times larger than a kidney, and because of its large size and the small and numerous blood vessels, it takes about 4 hours to remove the donor liver and another 8 hours to transplant it into the recipient.

Thousands of tiny blood vessels must be tied off and major suturing of veins and arteries must be performed. Dr. Paul Russell, a Boston area surgeon, performed the first human liver transplant in 1963, following years of research on animal models. Since that time, surgical techniques and other procedures have vastly improved and liver transplantation has become more feasible.

Because of the complexity and difficulty of liver transplantation, it remains a treatment of last resort for patients with liver disease. However, because this alternative exists, many people are alive today due to this procedure.

Complications due to rejection of transplanted livers are alleviated by the administration of anti-rejection drugs. Liver transplant patients generally show a one-year survival rate of over 75%.

About 300 liver transplants are performed in Canada each year. Worldwide, the record for survival after a liver transplant is 29 years.