Liver Transplant - Adult

Organs for transplantation are usually obtained from deceased donors. Unfortunately, there are not enough deceased donor organs available for everyone who needs one. As a result, more and more patients are being added to the transplant waiting list. The shortage of organs has caused many patients to succumb to their illnesses while waiting for a liver, or become too sick to undergo a transplant. However, if a patient receives a piece of liver from a living relative or compatible friend, he or she does not have to wait for a deceased organ. Thus, living donor liver transplantation can be an important alternative for many patients. In living donor liver transplantation, a piece of liver is surgically removed from a living person and transplanted into the waiting recipient.

Living donor liver transplantation is possible because the liver - unlike any other organ in the body - has the ability to regenerate, or grow. Regeneration of the liver happens over a very short period - possibly days to weeks, and certainly within six to eight weeks. Therefore, when surgeons remove a piece of the living donor's liver, the part that remains in the donor quickly grows back to its original size.

More than a decade ago, surgeons around the world began to perform these procedures using adult donors for children who needed transplants. In addition, surgeons gained experience in splitting a single deceased liver into two pieces, for transplantation into two recipients. Mount Sinai surgeons have been at the forefront of these surgical advances. They have also pioneered the use of living donor liver transplants in adult recipients, safely removing the larger right lobe of the donor's liver.

There are many benefits to living donor liver transplantation, including a lower risk of rejection and the ability to schedule surgery electively, rather than on an emergency basis, when a deceased donor liver becomes available. There is also an important emotional benefit that comes from knowing that a loved one has made a "gift of life." Mount Sinai has developed an independent donor advocacy team to ensure that the highest standards of safety and ethics are always in place. This team consists of an independent gastroenterologist, independent transplant surgeon, a liver transplant coordinator, social worker, psychiatrist and ethicist. For more information, please contact our Living Donor Coordinator at (212) 241-2892.

To learn more about becoming a living donor, please visit the following websites:

National Living Donor Assistance Center