How does a liver transplant work?

You can't live without a working liver. If your liver stops working properly, you may need a transplant. A liver transplant may be recommended if you have end-stage liver disease (chronic liver failure). This is a serious, life-threatening liver disease. It can be caused by several liver conditions. read more

Some transplant centers perform living donor liver transplants. If you are considering donating a part of your liver to a friend or family member, contact the person's transplant center for more information. If the transplant candidate does not yet have a transplant center, contact centers in the candidate's area for information. read more

A liver transplant is surgery to replace a diseased liver with a healthy liver from another person. A whole liver may be transplanted, or just part of one. In most cases the healthy liver will come from an organ donor who has just died. read more

If you become an active liver transplant candidate, your name will be placed on a waiting list. Patients are listed according to blood type, body size, and medical condition (how ill they are). Each patient is given a priority score based on three simple blood tests (creatinine, bilirubin, and INR). read more