Liver transplantation

A liver transplant is an operation where your diseased liver is removed and replaced with a healthy donor human liver.

Although liver transplants are now quite common, the operation is not undertaken lightly. It is a major operation and the body will always see the ‘new’ liver as a foreign agent and will try to destroy it.

You may need a liver transplant if your liver is damaged to the point where it is unable to repair itself and is likely to fail completely. Your doctor may advise you to have a transplant when it is thought this will either dramatically improve your quality of life or that, without a transplant, you will die.

Why do need people need a liver transplant?

The main causes of severe liver damage that lead to people needing a transplant are:

cirrhosis

● hepatitis

● metabolic conditions (problems with the physical and chemical processes that take place inside your liver to keep you alive)

paracetamol poisoning.