Pediatric Liver Transplant Program

Many diseases impact the liver, but not all liver diseases lead to transplant. Conditions that cause liver damage and could lead to a transplant include the following:

• Alagille syndrome
• Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency
• Autoimmune hepatitis
• Biliary atresia
• Cirrhosis
• Congenital hepatic fibrosis
• Hemochromatosis
• Hepatitis
• Hepatomegaly
• Jaundice/cholestatic liver diseases
• Liver tumors
• Metabolic liver diseases
• Neonatal hemochromatosis/Gestational alloimmune liver disease (GALD)
• Progressive Familial Intrahepatic Cholestasis (PFIC)
• Total parenteral nutrition-induced cholestasis
• Wilson's disease

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From evaluation to surgical aftercare, the liver transplant process is a long-term partnership between Children's and your family. Our exceptional pediatric liver transplant team provides all the support and education you and your child need, every step of the way.

Transplant process

The liver transplant process is much more than surgery. A liver transplant requires extensive preparation and follow-up care that lasts a lifetime.

Liver transplant process includes:

• Evaluation and Pre-Transplant Education of your child's liver condition and prognosis - The first step in our liver transplant process is to determine if the procedure is a good fit for your child. You'll meet with our team, who will carefully review your child's health history and order diagnostic tests – such as blood work, labs or radiology studies – and determine if a liver transplant is right for your child. We also arrange for your child and your family to meet with a dietitian, pharmacist, child psychologist and a social worker.
• Placement on the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) list
• Waiting for a matching liver to become available
• Liver transplant surgery
• Surgical aftercare to prevent your child's body from rejecting the new organ
• Follow-up care to monitor health and progress through the years - While most children who receive a liver transplant go on to lead a relatively typical life, a lifetime of follow-up care is required. At Children's, we'll schedule regular check-ups to monitor your child's progress and maintain your child's healthy immune system over time.

Learn more about liver transplant process >>>

One of the most important ways we work on behalf of children and their families is through our research and quality improvement initiatives in pediatric liver transplant. This includes:

• Studies in Pediatric Liver Transplantation (SPLIT) - a national database of pediatric liver transplant outcomes
• Liver Disease and Liver Transplant Database Study
• Quality of Life and Vulnerability in Pediatric Solid Organ Transplant Recipients
• Parents of Pediatric Solid Organ transplant Recipients: Transition to Home and Chronic Illness Care.
• Liver Disease Family Advisory Council

Our commitment to quality, advancements in surgical techniques and improvements in follow-up care result in some of the best surgical outcomes in the nation. For patients transplanted between July 2019 to December 2021, our patient survival rate is at 100% and our graft survival rate is at 100% at one year post transplant. For the most recent data on our program, survival rates can be found on the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients website.

Your child's new liver will come from either a living donor – such as a suitable relative – or a deceased anonymous donor, following placement on the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), a private, nonprofit organization that manages the nation's organ transplant system under contract with the federal government.