Living Donor Liver Transplant

Liver donation is possible from a living donor who is a close (First or second degree) relative of the recipient. The donor operation is entirely safe and the donated part of the liver regenerates within 6-8 weeks in both the donor and the recipient. In the first few days after operation even when regeneration is not complete, the half liver is enough to maintain normal donor functions due to the immense reserve in the liver.

Live donor Criteria

• The person must be a close relative (First or Second degree relative) of the recipient.
• The person must donate of his/her own free will.
• The person should be between 18-55 years of age.
• The donor and recipient blood group must match
• The liver that is to be transplanted must be enough in size & volume for the recipient
• Donor should not be pregnant

The suitability in the above respects and detailed medical evaluation is done by the Transplant Team in Pre-transplant donor evaluation which normally takes 2-3 days.

Benefits of live donor liver transplant

There are many benefits of receiving a liver from a living donor:

A living liver transplant can be scheduled electively and before the onset of life-threatening complications while waiting for a liver from a deceased donor
• No waiting period
• Surgeries can be scheduled at a convenient time for both the donor and the recipient
• A liver from a living donor typically lasts longer than a liver from a deceased donor