Living-Donor​ Liver Transplant For Referring Physicians

The Liver Transplant Program at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh treats children with acute to end-stage liver disease.

UPMC Children's is among one of the most skilled centers in using living-donor liver transplant to treat — and in some cases cure — metabolic disease.

Living-Donor Liver Transplant 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 Children's is a leading U.S. center for children's living-donor liver transplant.

In 1997, our surgeons performed UPMC Children's first living-donor liver transplant. 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 UPMC Children's Living-Donor Liver Transplant

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.
• Lower need for immune suppression drugs due to better matching from related donors.
• We urge referring physicians to discuss living-donor liver transplant with their patients and families.

Contact UPMC Children’s Pediatric Liver Transplant Program

Contact us to learn more about living-donor liver transplantation, discuss a child's liver condition, or to make a patient referral.

Phone: 412-692-6110
Fax: 412-692-6116
Office hours: 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
24-hour Emergency Referrals: 1-877-640-6746