Liver Transplant Criteria

The liver organ is a solid body, positioned in the upper right portion of the abdomen, underneath the diaphragm. This largest solid organ is responsible for the production and processing of bile juice, proteins, fats and other essential biomolecules of the body. Another primary role of liver is metabolizing and filtering harmful substances. Considering all these liver functions, patients diagnosed with irreversible liver diseases require liver transplantation (LT). Information on liver transplant candidates and liver transplant criteria are discussed below.

Who are the Candidates for Liver Transplant?

According to medical findings, the liver organ can regenerate lost or damaged tissue naturally. In fact, it is the only internal organ that can self-repair and develop into a whole organ, provided that at least 25 percent of the original cells are retained. Despite this special feature, the liver is susceptible to several complications. Part of the reason is its position in the abdominal area and its role in metabolizing toxins. The prospective candidates for liver transplants include those diagnosed with any of the following liver diseases.

• Liver cancer
• Acute hepatic necrosis
• Liver cirrhosis
• Portal hypertension
• Hepatitis B with cirrhosis
• Hepatitis C with cirrhosis
• Polycystic liver disease
• Metabolic diseases
• Biliary atresia
• Primary sclerosing cholangitis
• Alcoholic liver disease

The Criteria for Hepatic Transplant

Under certain circumstances, liver transplantation is essential to restore normal functioning of the body. The intervention of replacing a diseased liver (from a recipient) with a healthy liver (from a donor) is a remarkable advancement in medical field. During the liver transplant surgery, about 40-60 percent of the diseased liver is removed. The donor need not be a blood relative of the receiver, but both should have the same blood type. As with any organ transplant protocol, certain liver transplant criteria are laid down by qualified doctors, which include the following.

Age
The living donor for liver transplant surgery should fall between the age group 18-60 years. Preferably, the body physique of the donor should be similar or bigger than the receiving person. Liver transplant surgery is suggested for patients (even older than 70 years) without severe vascular conditions, and those who have a probability of living for more than 5 years. In fact, there is no upper age bar for qualifying as a liver transplant candidate. For recipients older than 50, blood studies and various laboratory tests are conducted to monitor his/her general health.

Alcoholism
Excessive consumption of alcohol for an extended period is the triggering factor for alcoholic liver disease (ALD). For patients diagnosed with the same, liver transplantation is the only feasible surgery to increase longevity. As liver donor rate is very low, contradictions are raised against people with alcohol abuse history stating that the transplanted organ will get damaged with future alcohol consumption. Comparative studies reveal that recipients with ALD and those with nonalcoholic liver disorder have the same survival rate.

HCC
Hepatocellular Carcinoma, abbreviated as HCC, refers to malignant tumor of the liver organ. Patients who are in the initial stages get prompt result with other treatment alternatives. But, orthotopic liver transplant surgery is approved as the best approach for this carcinoma condition. The plus point with LT is that it helps in dealing with undiagnosed HCC (if any) and cirrhosis. Thus, a patient with hepatocellular carcinoma after receiving a healthy liver has lesser risk of future liver complications, which is not so with other HCC treatment strategies.

As far as liver transplant cost is concerned, the average cost is about USD 150,000 - 200,000 (or more). In the United States, chronic hepatitis C viral that progresses to cirrhosis is a leading cause for liver transplant surgery. The objective behind laying down stringent liver transplant criteria is to minimize complications, thereby, increasing the survival rate of both donor and recipients. The actual liver transplant life expectancy varies for different candidates. After a successful liver transplantation, the recovery time is about 2 months for the donor and 6-12 months for the recipient.