A liver transplant surgery is conducted to remove the diseased liver and replace it with a healthy liver donated by either a living or a deceased donor. There are a huge number of people who are listed on the waiting list for a liver transplant because the availability of donated liver is limited. This is the reason why a liver transplant is an expensive procedure and is conducted only in rare cases.

Qualifications for Liver Transplant Recipient

A healthy liver plays an important role in the human body. It plays a key role in the absorption and storage of key nutrients and medications and also helps eliminate bacteria and toxins from the blood.

However, a healthy liver may get diseased over a period of time due to many reasons. Patients with the following liver-related conditions are considered for the liver transplant procedure:

• Acute liver failure triggered by drug-induced liver injury among other reasons
• Chronic liver failure or end-stage liver disease due to liver cirrhosis
• Hepatic tumour or cancer
• Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)
• Alcoholic liver disease
• Chronic viral hepatitis
• Diseases causing liver failure
Some of the leading reasons that contribute to liver cirrhosis include the following:
• Diseased bile ducts that carry the bile juice from the liver and small intestine to the gall bladder
• Hemochromatosis, which is a genetic problem where the liver tends to build up iron undesirably
• Wilson’s disease wherein the liver accumulates copper by itself
• Biliary atresia in children, a condition wherein an infant is born without the bile ducts or has the ducts blocked or damaged
• Liver cancers such as cholangiocarcinoma, hepatoblastoma, or hepatocellular carcinoma

 Liver Disease Symptoms

The patients with liver disease may experience the following symptoms:

• Fatigue and weakness
• Nausea and loss of appetite
• Muscle and weight loss
• Black stools and vomiting
• Jaundice
• Problems with blood clotting
• Confusion and forgetfulness
• Build up of fluids in the abdomen