liver transplantation

liver transplantation Surgery to remove a diseased liver and replace it with a healthy liver (or part of one) from a donor. The most common reason for liver transplantation in children is biliary atresia (a disease in which the ducts that carry bile out of the liver are missing or damaged). The most common reason for liver transplantation in adults is cirrhosis (a disease in which healthy liver cells are killed and replaced with scar tissue). There is no effective treatment for end-stage liver disease other than transplantation. The life of someone with kidney failure can be extended via dialysis, and someone with a failing heart can sometimes be sustained with an implantable pump, but there are no machines that can take over the liver’s functions. Transplanted livers may come from cadavers or living donors.