Selection Criteria for Liver Transplantation for Acute Alcohol-Associated Hepatitis

Abstract

Severe acute alcohol-associated hepatitis that is nonresponsive to medical therapy has an extremely high mortality. Liver transplantation is a feasible treatment option and available at certain transplant centers globally. Selection criteria for liver transplantation are not, uniform but there are important key criteria shared across protocols. Of equal importance to the management of liver disease is the treatment of alcohol use disorder. A thorough assessment of candidates involves input from an addiction specialist and psychiatrist. With careful selection practices, graft and patient survival among transplant recipients with severe alcohol-associated hepatitis is similar to other etiologies of chronic liver disease.

Keywords: Alcohol use disorder; Alcohol-associated liver disease; Alcoholic hepatitis; Chronic liver disease; Selection; Transplant.