A liver transplant is a surgical procedure consisting of irreversibly
replacing a diseased liver with a healthy liver. A liver transplant is a long
and complex operation that takes place in several distinct stages: removal of
the diseased liver, removal of the liver from the donor and then grafting it to
the recipient and finally ensuring that it functions normally.
Liver transplantation is a two-step operation. The surgeon first removes
the diseased liver before transplanting the healthy liver from the donor. These
two steps require perfect synchronization. The donated liver also called a
graft, must not remain too long deprived of blood to be able to function
normally again.
Who Is This For?
Treatment Duration
4-8 hours
Potential Risks & Side Effects
Recovery Time
Patients need 6 months on average to return their everyday activities
after liver transplant surgery but it can take up to a year to
fully recover.
Success Rate: 80 %
Alternative Treatments
Hepatocyte
transplantation
How Does it Work?
If you are chosen as a recipient, you are contacted by the transplant
team who takes care of you to find out if you still agree to be transplanted
and if there are no last-minute contraindications. You are then invited to go
to the transplant center which takes care of you. You must stay on an empty
stomach. Meanwhile, a transplant team surgeon takes the donor's liver. You will
not be operated until the donor surgeon has examined the donor's liver and
verified that it can be transplanted.
What Does a Liver Transplant
Involve?
1. Consultation for Liver Transplant
Your treatment process begins with an online
consultation. Our experts listen to your health story, your liver condition’s progression
status, and your expectations. They will inform you about whether you need a liver
transplant or other treatments. It is important to share all your health
information that may be useful at this stage. If available, please share your
diagnosis and treatment process documents, imaging results and information
about your current health status with the health providers during this online
consultation.
2. Planning Your Trip and Choosing the Clinic
After your first evaluation, we offer a list
of liver transplant clinics that meet the criteria you provide us. You will
then examine all and decide on one of them. Depending on your choice, we move
on to planning the entire treatment process.
3. Final Consultation with Your Surgeon
When you arrive at the clinic, you will have a
face-to-face consultation with your doctor. Everything about your liver transplant
surgery will be discussed and decided during this consultation. The doctor will
ask you some questions to try to understand your expectations and concerns
better and also make you understand what you should expect from your treatment with
its potential risks or complications. Your doctor will explain the whole
process clearly in order you to feel enlightened and ready.
4. Medical Examinations
Before the liver transplant surgery begins,
your surgeon will perform a series of tests to ensure that there are no
contraindications. He or she will conduct physical and blood tests to make sure
that you are in acceptable health status for the surgery and to eliminate the risks
that can hinder the success of the procedure.
As soon as to be a candidate for a liver
transplant, the patient is regularly followed up at the hospital to carry out
various examinations (blood tests, medical imaging examinations). The patient
must also be up to date with his vaccinations (Diphtheria, Tetanus, Polio,
pertussis Hemophilus influenza b). Vaccination against influenza, hepatitis A,
hepatitis B, pneumococcus, MMR, chickenpox) is highly recommended.
While waiting for a donor, the patient can
wait several months before being transplanted, this time varies depending on
the indication for the transplant but also the severity of his condition.
5. Surgery
A liver transplant takes place under general
anesthesia. A venous line, a urinary catheter, a gastric tube, and tracheal
intubation are placed.
The procedure takes place in two stages:
These two stages must be perfectly
synchronized because the graft must remain as short as possible deprived of
blood circulation.
Anti-rejection treatment is started in the
operating room.
What Happens After Liver Transplant Surgery?
FAQ
When to Need A
Liver Transplant?
Liver transplants are used in cases of end-stage liver failure; when the liver is no longer able to perform its functions.
What Are the
Side Effects of Immunosuppressants?
Possible side effects of immunosuppressants include:
What Happens
If You Drink Alcohol After A Liver Transplant?
Alcoholic beverage
consumption after transplant is not recommended, even for people who have not
had alcohol-related liver disease. Alcohol is broken down by the liver and
drinking alcohol forces the liver extra effort.
Our team will dedicate their effort and time to help you choose the clinic best for you. Our goal is not just to find ‘a doctor’ for you, but to find ‘the right doctor’.