Pediatric liver transplantation

World J Gastroenterol. 2009 Feb 14;15(6):648-74. doi: 10.3748/wjg.15.648.

Abstract

In previous decades, pediatric liver transplantation has become a state-of-the-art operation with excellent success and limited mortality. Graft and patient survival have continued to improve as a result of improvements in medical, surgical and anesthetic management, organ availability, immunosuppression, and identification and treatment of postoperative complications. The utilization of split-liver grafts and living-related donors has provided more organs for pediatric patients. Newer immunosuppression regimens, including induction therapy, have had a significant impact on graft and patient survival. Future developments of pediatric liver transplantation will deal with long-term follow-up, with prevention of immunosuppression-related complications and promotion of as normal growth as possible. This review describes the state-of-the-art in pediatric liver transplantation.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Child
  • Family
  • Graft Survival
  • Hepatectomy
  • Humans
  • Liver / anatomy & histology
  • Liver Diseases / classification
  • Liver Diseases / surgery
  • Liver Neoplasms / surgery
  • Liver Transplantation / mortality
  • Liver Transplantation / standards
  • Liver Transplantation / statistics & numerical data*
  • Living Donors
  • Patient Selection
  • Survival Rate
  • Tissue and Organ Harvesting