Liver transplantation

• Autores: John O'Grady
• Localización: Medicine, ISSN-e 1357-3039, Vol. 43, Nº. 11, 2016, págs. 686-688
• Idioma: inglés
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • Liver transplantation is an established component of the management of most primary diseases involving the liver and over 17,000 have been performed in the UK. In patients with cirrhosis, organ allocation is directed on the basis of disease severity scores (MELD or UKELD). Tumour size and number determine which patients with hepatocellular carcinoma are selected for liver transplantation. Liver transplantation is also an important management option in acute liver failure. Technical complications and recurrent disease represent the biggest challenges as modern immunosuppression regimens have almost eliminated rejection as a cause of graft failure. There is a morbidity associated with immunosuppression, both generally as well as specific to individual drugs (e.g. calcineurin inhibitor-related nephrotoxicity). Twenty-year survival data are now becoming available and establish the success of liver transplant in delivering excellent long-term outcomes.