Living-Donor​ Liver Transplant For Referring Doctors

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