OUR TREATMENTS
Liver Transplantation
Resection of the liver : the liver is cut and a portion of healthy liver can be donated to a family member for transplantation.
Liver transplantation for United Kingdom (UK) citizens:
For people with end stage liver disease where symptoms of the disease become apparent and are, in themselves, life threatening (variceal bleeding, encephalopathy, ascites, mal-nutrition, jaundice) the need to have your liver removed and a healthy one substituted into its place is a recognised treatment. This treatment is called Liver Transplantation and is also offered to those who become acutely unwell with liver disease that spreads, to such an extent, that the liver is unlikely to survive. These two groups of people need to be referred to a centre that is not only a liver centre but also a transplant centre which the Wellington Liver Unit is. Within the UK the Liver Transplant waiting list is kept on the National Health Service at designated centres throughout the UK and there is no need for any UK citizen to be transplanted privately. However, the assessment for transplantation involves a series of tests that can take time to complete and it is these tests that the Wellington Hospital Liver Unit can complete privately over the course of one week. The waiting time from finishing the assessment to transplantation depends upon your size, blood group and current state of health (you will be taken off the list temporarily if you have an infection or are symptomatically unwell).
Liver Transplantation for Non UK Citizens:
There are two methods for getting a liver transplant for patients who are not UK/EU citizens. Firstly there is the use of marginal grafts. This is where a liver from someone who has been pronounced brain stem dead donates his or her whole liver to be transplanted. Most of these organs are given to citizens of the UK/EU but if no transplant centre wishes to use this organ then it can be offered to non UK citizens. There are a number of issues with this form of transplant as the organ is sometimes of inferior quality and we would discuss this option in detail to clarify the pros and cons in person.
The second method of transplantation is by living donor. This is when a healthy family member over the age of 21, with the same blood group as the person needing the transplant, with no existing liver disease or chronic health problems themselves, donates a portion of their liver to the patient requiring transplantation. There are risks to the health of the person who donates and again we would discuss this in person. The benefits of this form of transplant are that we are not reliant on waiting for a suitable organ to become available which means that we can do the transplant surgery at an agreed date and time whilst the patient is still considered fit enough to undergo the operation. If you have the ability to consider this form of transplant then we would suggest you come along with your proposed donor to be reviewed in clinic and bring the blood group tests of both you and your donor to your first appointment.