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A liver transplant is an operation to remove a diseased or damaged liver from the body and replace it with a healthy one.

It is recommended when the liver has been damaged to the point that it cannot perform its normal functions and is likely to fail.

Although fairly common, a liver transplant is a major operation. One of the biggest risks is that the body will reject the new organ. To prevent this from happening, you will have to take medication to suppress the immune system for the rest of your life.

Liver damage

The liver can become damaged as a result of illness, infection or alcohol. This damage causes the liver to become scarred, which is known as cirrhosis.

Some of the most common causes of liver damage and cirrhosis in England are:

• Hepatitis C– a blood-borne virus that can cause extensive liver damage in a minority of people
• Alcoholic cirrhosis – the liver becomes scarredbecause of years of persistent alcohol abuse
• Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) – a poorly understood condition that causes progressive liver damage

Once cirrhosis reaches a certain level, the liver gradually loses all of its functions. This is known as liver failure, or end-stage liver disease.

The only hope for the long-term survival of a person with liver failure is a liver transplant.

Liver transplant

There are three types of liver transplant:

• Deceasedorgan donation involves transplanting a liver that has been removed from a person who died recently 
• Living donor liver transplant, wherea section of liver is removed from a living donor – because the liver can regenerate itself, both the transplanted section and the remaining section of the donor's liver are able to regrow into a normal-sized liver
• Split donation, where a liver is removed from a person who diedrecently and is split into two pieces, one large and one smaller piece – each piece is transplanted into a different person, where they will grow to a normal size

Life after liver transplant

NHS Blood and Transplant recently found that around 86% of transplanted livers still function well a year after surgery.

However, survival rates can be influenced by a number of factors, including:

• Age
• General state of health
• The reason behind the liver transplantation
• Whether complications develop after the transplant, such as diabetes or kidney failure

The long-term use of immunosuppressants can also cause a wide range of side effects and make a person more vulnerable to infection.