Liver Transplant

As in all other organs, a liver transplant may be required in case of chronic liver failure.

Who should have a Liver Transplant?

A liver transplant is necessary for the patient who has end-stage chronic liver failure should have the liver transplant to recure. Additionally, using excessive drug or alcohol hereditary anomalies, hepatitis viruses and cancer can cause permanent damage to the liver. In such cases, the liver shrinks and hardens, and large and small swellings begin to form on it. This disease is called cirrhosis. Patients with cirrhosis are expected to live less than a year and they are also the candidates for liver transplant and this is the only solution for these patients. The vast majority of these patients die within a year due to the disease and its complications.

The person who is willing to be a donor , who has all requirements for donation, can be donor for a liver transplant. Transplantation is performed with a piece of the liver which is taken from the donor.

To become a live liver donor, you must

• be in good physical and mental health
• have a healthy liver and also kidney function
• have a compatible blood type with the recipient
• be between the ages 18-60 and be willing to become a live liver donner
• be a healthy weight
• quit tobacco 1-2 months before surgery
• free from chronic diseases such as heart disease, kidney disease etc. , cancer, hepatitis,chronic infections and substance abuse.

Any diagnosed health problem in the person who wants to be a donor can prevent the liver transplant. A liver transplant is a risky operation as it depends on the general health condition of the patients and it is a serious and complicated operation. The patients who have a risk of death if they don't have an operation, are already exhausted because they suffer from a severe disease. So, the timing of the surgery is very important. The achievement rate of liver transplant surgery which is performed with the right timing reaches 80%.

In an early-stage transplant before the health condition of the patient gets worse, the operation risk is less and the lifetime is long. Otherwise , the operation can be too risky.

The recipient and donor should have the same blood type for a liver transplant. In extreme cases , when the blood type of the recipient and donor are different from each other, the transplantation may be performed but this method is a measure of the last resort.

For adult patients, he right lobe of the liver is taken usually from the donor while in some cases the left lobe can also be taken. While the right lobe constitutes 60% of the liver, the left lobe completes 40%. For pediatric patients, the part of the liver called the left lateral segment is removed. This piece is about 20% of the liver.

In cases where the donor is alive, the recipient and the donor are taken to the operating room at the same time and the operation is started. The unhealthy liver is removed from the patient. At the same time, the healthy liver part taken from the donor is being transferred to the patient. After the surgery, patients are taken care of in intensive care units. The donors can be discharged within one or a few weeks after the surgery but the post-operative follow-up of the patient is provided in the hospital.

What Happens After A Liver Transplant ?

As in all other patients who have transplantation, the patients who have liver transplants have to use immunosuppressant medication for life. Drugs are prescribed to the patients to prevent the organ from being neutralized by the body's defense mechanism and to adapt to the body and make it functional medications.

After successful surgeries, the vast majority of donors do not experience any health problems. There is a possibility of jaundice and vascular occlusion in the liver due to the complications that may occur during the surgery , the probability of these cases is less than a percentage. The livers of living donors completely renew themselves within six weeks after the operation.

As Bilva Health, we are at your service with our experienced Liver Transplant team and the doctors we work with. We carry out the diagnosis and treatment process to be applied to our patients together with our specialist doctors and surgeons.

Why Bilva Health?

We are aware that people who have health problems want to solve their problems in the easiest, fastest and most accurate way. We are working hard to get you to the right treatment. From the moment you leave your home, we will be with you in every process. We are interested in all the necessary details on behalf of you, such as plane tickets, visas, welcoming, accommodation and transportation. All you have left is to be treated by trusting us and the physicians.

We are proud and happy that you have chosen for us, together with our team, who will get you to specialists in the easiest and most reliable way.