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Organ Transplantation
Liver Transplantation
The Hospital's liver transplantation effort is distinguished by surgical and medical advances, with one-year survivals in pediatrics in the mid 90th percentile, and five-year survivals in the low 90s. The national standard is in the mid-80s.
Liver Disease and Transplantation CenterThe Liver Disease and Transplantation Center is a comprehensive program dedicated to treating all forms and stages of liver disease in children and adults. When treatments are unable to save a damaged liver and transplantation becomes necessary, our program offers surgical and postoperative care that reflects the great progress achieved in liver transplantation. While patients await transplantation, our team provides the medical intervention necessary to improve the success of the transplant postoperatively.
Our hepatologists take care of patients with mild liver disease to major illnesses requiring transplantation. Among the conditions we treat that could lead to the need for transplantation are:
- Acute liver failure
- Alagille syndrome
- Alpha 1 antitrypsin deficiency
- Ascites
- Biliary atresia
- Cholestasis
- Cirrhosis
- Hepatitis
- Hepatoblastoma
- Hepatomegaly
- Jaundice
- Liver disease
- Liver injury
- Liver tumor
- Neonatal hepatitis
- Portal hypertension
- Portal vein thrombosis
- Splenomegaly
- Tyrosinemia
- Variceal bleeding
- Wilson's disease
The Center cares for patients from the pre-operative phase through post-transplant recovery. As a medical-surgical service, our surgeons and hepatologists are readily available to answer any parent and patient concerns. The Center also includes a social worker, nurse practitioners, and a financial assistant who helps families with insurance.
Our pediatric patients have access to clinical trials that address the latest therapies in immunosuppression, including novel adult therapies that may be appropriate for older teenagers.
Many of our pediatric liver transplants are performed in children with biliary atresia, whose care is maximized by the collaboration of general pediatric surgeons and transplant surgeons.
Living DonorsNewYork-Presbyterian Hospital is a world leader for living donor transplantation, which involves the removal of a portion of the donor's healthy liver into a recipient. This is possible because of the unique ability of the liver to regenerate. A living donor offers the possibility of earlier transplantation to those in need before their health deteriorates to life-threatening status. Very often a family member or parent is a suitable donor for the child. In addition, we can split donor livers - making a liver available to two children at one time.
