A liver transplant is a surgical procedure that replaces a sick liver with a healthy liver from someone else. An entire liver or only a portion of one can be transplanted. In most circumstances, the healthy liver would come from a recently deceased organ donor. A healthy person may occasionally donate a portion of their liver. A member of the family could be a living donor. It could also be someone who isn’t related to you yet shares your blood type. People who donate a portion of their liver can live a normal life with the remaining liver. The liver is the only organ in the body that could repair tissue that has been lost or damaged (regenerate). Following surgery, the donor’s liver will quickly return to normal size. In a few weeks, the component you get as a new liver also would expand to its usual size.

When do I need a liver transplant?

When the liver functions are damaged further than the body’s ability to repair, liver transplantation is required. A liver transplant could be curative in children and adults with liver failure caused by long-term liver illness, primary hepatic tumours, or systemic disorders. The grounds for a liver transplant differ depending on the patient’s age and illness severity.

Children’s liver transplants: what are the reasons?

Biliary atresia, wherein the bile ducts that transport bile from the liver to the gallbladder and aid digestion are underdeveloped, is a common reason for liver transplantation in infants. To rectify this issue, reconstructive surgery may be performed in the first few months of birth. Some youngsters, on the other hand, develop severe jaundice and eventually liver failure.

Adult liver transplants are performed for a variety of reasons.

Chronic infection with the hepatitis C virus has to be the most common cause of liver damage in adults that necessitates a liver transplant. Some conditions that frequently demand a liver transplant in adults involve Hepatitis B virus, Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, Primary Biliary Cirrhosis, and Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis.

The most prevalent cancers that require a liver transplant are hepatoblastoma (in children) and hepatocellular carcinoma (in adults). Rarer reasons include accidental or suicide drug overdoses with liver-damaging drugs like paracetamol, or acute liver failure owing to viral hepatitis A or B. Complications of liver cirrhosis; Primary biliary cirrhosis, and so on are some frequent and uncommon disorders that can lead to liver failure and the need for a liver transplant Surgeon for consultation about your liver condition.

Liver Cirrhosis

Cirrhosis of the liver develops as a result of chronic liver illness and scarring. That might not induce liver failure right once, but the liver’s functions steadily deteriorate over time, necessitating liver transplantation. Cirrhosis can be caused by a variety of factors, including: long term hepatitis C or hepatitis B infection (less chances than cirrhosis that happens by Hepatitis C infection), long term excessive alcoholism, autoimmune liver diseases, fatty liver disease, and hereditary liver diseases. One in every seven patients infected with hepatitis C will develop liver failure 20 to 30 years following them receiving the infection.

Primary biliary cirrhosis

A kind of chronic liver illness known as primary biliary cirrhosis demands a liver transplant. There could be a bile build-up in the liver. This occurs as a result of the immune system attacking the liver’s bile ducts. PBC is a relatively uncommon disease that affects about one in every 8,300 persons in the United Kingdom. However, this is still one of the most likely reasons for liver transplantation.

Primary sclerosing cholangitis

Another persistent liver disease that necessitates transplantation is primary sclerosing cholangitis. It frequently leads to liver failure after a number of years. Between the ages of 30 and 50, around 1 in 16,000 people suffer from this illness.

Sudden liver failure

Drug overdose with medications like acetaminophen can cause sudden liver failure that necessitates transplantation. Acute liver failure can also be caused by exposure to the anaesthetic chemical halothane. Young people are more susceptible to this type of liver failure, which affects only 1 in 300,000 individuals every year.

Liver Cancer

Another illness that necessitates a liver transplant is liver cancer. Approximately 2,750 new instances of liver cancer are detected in England each year, with the majority of cases occurring in those aged 65 and up.

Autoimmune hepatitis

When the body fails to recognise the liver as its own, it assaults the liver tissues, causing autoimmune hepatitis. It’s possible that you’ll end up with liver failure as a result of this. There is no explanation for this reaction. Annually, only one in 100,000 persons in the United Kingdom has this illness.

Biliary atresia

Biliary atresia is perhaps the most prevalent reason for a liver transplant in youngsters. Only 1 in every 18,000 babies is affected by biliary atresia. Other issues that affect newborns and children involve Idiopathic neonatal hepatitis, Cholestatic liver disease, Alagille’s syndrome, Familial intrahepatic cholestasis (FIC), Non-syndromic biliary hypoplasia, and Inherited metabolic liver disease.

Hepatopulmonary syndrome and portopulmonary hypertension are examples of more common Liver issues which could necessitate a Liver Transplant.

Metabolic diseases

The liver is associated with a number of metabolic illnesses, such as Primary oxaluria, Familial amyloidosis, 1-antitrypsin deficiency, Wilson’s disease, Urea cycle enzyme deficiencies, Tyrosemia, Familial hypercholesterolaemia, Criggler Najar syndrome urea cycle defects, and Glycogen storage disease.

Risks of a liver transplant– There is a potential that a liver transplant will cause a few issues in patients. Here are a few examples:

Rejection – The patient’s immune system has a high possibility of attacking the freshly transplanted liver within the body. Rejection is the term for this process. Nearly 60% of patients experience rejection events. This is why patients who have had a liver transplant are given anti-rejection medications.

Infection – Anti-rejection medications usually cause the patient’s immune system to deteriorate. Such drugs are known as immunosuppressants, and they make patients more susceptible to external infections.

Liver function issues — In about one to five percent of patients, the transplanted liver does not perform as it should, necessitating a second transplant.

Can I Consult Online with the Liver Transplant Surgeon

Online consultations with liver transplant surgeon are secure, save time, and protect the privacy of a patient. They also allow them to contact a specialist at their leisure by selecting a preferred date and time period from the convenience of their own home. The following are some of the advantages of online video consultations:

Privacy- In our society, some diseases and disorders are frequently stigmatized, preventing people from seeking medical help. With video consultation, on the other hand, you may keep personal privacy while consulting with any specialist at any time.

Safety- People are postponing treatment and hesitating going to the hospital because they are afraid of COVID-19. This difficulty is solved by video consultation, as doctors may now be consulted from the comfort and safety of their own homes.

Accessibility- Individuals from smaller towns and cities frequently do not have access to quality healthcare. In case  they do, they will have to travel considerable distances to see doctors, which would add to their costs. People now have easier access to professional doctors and high-quality healthcare thanks to video consultation.

With so many advantages and the ease of availing Online Consultations, it is now a much preferred option over in person consultations.Then what are you waiting for, Get Online Consultation with the Top Liver Transplant Surgeon over an Audio or Video Call today and clarify all your concerns and queries.