The Liver Transplant Program at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh treats children with acute to end-stage liver disease.
UPMC Children's Hospital is among one of the most skilled centers in using living-donor liver transplant (LDLT) to treat — and in some cases cure — metabolic disease.
LDLT as a Treatment Option
Outcomes for liver transplant are excellent, but quality deceased-donor organs are scarce.
To address the organ shortage, surgeons at UPMC Children's formed a living-donor liver transplant program as a life-saving option.
UPMC is a leading U.S. center for children's LDLT.
In 1997, our surgeons performed the first LDLT. The 18-month-old boy had biliary atresia and successfully received part of his father's liver.
Our program has shown exceptional results, reporting one and three-year survival rates at 100%.
Added Benefits of Children's LDLT
The use of liver tissue from living donors helps us achieve success in many ways, including:
-
Shorter wait times for transplant.
- Healthier children at the time of transplant surgery. This is because they can get the donor organ before they become gravely ill.
- Better long-term results. This may be due to genetic and immune system matching if the donor is a relative.
- Preserves tissue from deceased donors, which is a scarce resource.
- Lower need for immune suppression drugs due to better matching from related donors.
- We urge referring physicians to discuss LDLT with their patients and families.
Contact the Living-Donor Liver Transplant Program at UPMC Children's
Contact a Transplant Coordinator to learn more about living donor liver transplantation, or to discuss a child's liver condition, or to make a patient referral.
To learn more about LDLT, discuss a child's liver disease, or refer a child, contact:
Renee Brown-Bakewell
Phone: 412-692-6310
Email: renee.brown-bakewell@chp.edu
Fax: 412-692-6116
Office hours: 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
24-hour Emergency Referrals: 1-877-640-6746
