This is also called cirrhosis of the liver. It usually means that too much of your liver tissue has been replaced with scar tissue, which has no blood flow. Chronic liver failureĬhronic liver failure is the end-stage of chronic, progressive liver disease. Some livers recover from acute liver failure, but others don't. If you have acute liver failure, you will have symptoms of liver insufficiency - evidence that your liver has stopped working. The damage may come from toxic poisoning or infection. Acute liver failureĪcute liver failure occurs when a previously healthy liver has severe damage. But since these diseases tend to progress slowly, starting over with a healthy liver can buy valuable time. Some chronic liver diseases will simply resume their destructive work on the new liver. The competition for donor livers is high, and even if you do get one, it won’t always cure the underlying disease. Primary liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma).Liver transplant surgery is usually reserved for: What conditions can a liver transplant treat?
There are many more people who need liver transplants than there are donor livers available. Many things can cause your liver to stop working, including immediate (acute) causes like toxic poisoning and chronic liver diseases. If your liver is failing, or if you have primary liver cancer, a liver transplant could save your life. You can’t live without a functioning liver. Why would someone need to have a liver transplant?
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A divided liver can grow back to full size in both your body and the living donor’s body. You can receive a whole liver from a donor who has recently been pronounced dead, or you can receive a part of a liver from a living donor.
A liver transplant is a surgical procedure to replace a failing liver with a healthy one that comes from another person’s body.