Once a child is diagnosed with liver disease it is important to make a thorough assessment to determine the severity of the disease and its projected outcome. Decisions for management of these patients with liver disease or metabolic disorders are made by a multidisciplinary team to examine all options of therapy and intervention.
Liver disease symptoms and findings that may indicate the need for a liver transplant include:
- Failure of synthetic function (decrease albumin, elevated clotting times, etc.)
- Portal hypertension with bleeding (variceal bleeding)
- Severe hypersplenism along with liver dysfunction (decreased platelet count)
- Unacceptable quality of life (itching, poor growth, failure to thrive)
- Recurrent cholangitis
- Malnutrition
- Encephalopathy (elevated ammonia levels in the blood)
- Progressive jaundice
Through its success, liver transplantation is now an option not only for patients with life-threatening liver disease but for those with life-disabling complications of pediatric liver disease.
Learn more about What Liver Diseases Lead to Transplantation.
