The increase in the number of annual liver transplants is limited at the present time due to the shortage of organs prepared for transplantation, as liver transplantation is performed for patients who suffer from liver diseases in its final stages as a result of acute or chronic hepatitis.
Chronic hepatitis may also lead to cirrhosis of the liver, which necessitates resorting to a liver transplant in the last stages. These infections are caused by several factors:
An infection caused by hepatitis B or hepatitis C viruses.
Alcoholism.
Taking medications incorrectly without consulting a doctor.
DNA.
Autoimmune diseases.
Diseases affecting the bile ducts inside and outside the liver.
Fat accumulation in liver cells.
Primary liver cancer.
Complications of the operation
You must stay in the hospital for several days after the liver transplant to take full health care, and you must see the doctor continuously after that to avoid complications that may appear, which include:
Potential immediate complications as a result of a liver transplant include
General bacterial and viral infection.
Acute transplant rejection.
Thrombosis and blockage of blood vessels in the areas where connections were made in the bile ducts.
Complications that appear at a late stage include the following
Viral and fungal infection.
Chronic and acute transplant rejection.
Narrowing of the bile ducts.
The appearance of benign and malignant tumors.
Rapid atherosclerosis.
before performing the operation
Before performing a liver transplant, several things must be confirmed, including
Liver transplantation is not performed in the following cases: cancer outside the liver, pulmonary hypertension, severe heart or lung disease, and active HIV infection.
The age of candidates for liver transplantation should not exceed 65 years due to the limited number of donors. As for the age of donors, it has been shown that it is possible to benefit only from the liver of those under the age of 60.
A match in blood type and liver size between donor and recipient is essential.
during the procedure
Transplant quality is an essential factor affecting the success of the surgery, and liver transplantation is a complex procedure due to the physiological changes that result from liver disease.
The surgery is divided into three stages
Take out the patient''s liver.
Connect the new liver with blood vessels.
Connect the bile ducts.
after the procedure
The treatment that is given after surgery aims to reduce infection, and it mainly includes treatment with drugs designed to prevent rejection of the transplanted organ, which work to suppress the immune system, and thus prevent rejection of the transplanted liver, and drugs that are given throughout the period of the transplanted organ (Cyclosporine), and tacrolimus.
