Know More about Organ Donation - Liver Transplant

What is liver transplant?

• Treatment of choice for terminal liver failure in adult and paediatric patients.
• ABO blood group compatibility of the donor and recipient is required.
• The first successful liver transplant in Hong Kong was performed at the Queen Mary Hospital in 1991

Common conditions requiring liver transplant

• Chronic liver diseases which can lead to cirrhosis. The common causes of chronic liver diseases are:

  • Chronic viral hepatitis B
  • Chronic viral hepatitis C
  • Alcoholic cirrhosis

• Acute liver failure, the common causes of which are:

  • Acute viral hepatitis
  • Hepatic failure due to drugs/toxins
  • Acute hepatitis caused by drugs/Chinese medicine
• Liver cancer

• Metabolic diseases, for example

  • Wilson disease

• Other irreversible liver diseases, such as

  • Obstruction of bile duct
  • Injury of liver
  • Polycystic liver
  • Familial amyloid polyneuropathy

Criteria for deceased liver donor

• No age limit for a brain death donor
• Meet the general criteria for organ donor
• No history of chronic liver disease