Gastroenterology and Hepatology

Liver Transplant Program

The Liver Transplant Program is a multidisciplinary practice within the Transplant Center. A well-developed team approach is used in the Liver Transplant Program to maximize patient care. This team consists of doctors who are specialized in liver diseases (hepatologists), transplantation surgeons, desk clinical assistants, transplant nurse coordinators, physician assistants, social workers, dietitians and secretaries.

Many other physicians also participate in caring for patients in the Liver Transplant Clinic, including doctors who specialize in the imaging of the liver (radiologists), doctors who specialize in the treatment of infections (infectious diseases physicians), doctors who administer sedatives and anesthetics during the liver operation and take care of patients in the intensive care unit immediately following liver transplantation (anesthesiologists), and a thoracic disease specialist who has special expertise in lung diseases associated with liver dysfunction. The goal of the Liver Transplant Clinic is to provide patients with thorough yet timely, cost-effective care both before and after liver transplantation.

To help deal with all health-related issues arising after liver transplantation, each patient is assigned a nurse coordinator, who serves as a direct contact for questions. This facet of the Liver Transplant Program allows a personal and individualized approach to patient care. The Liver Transplant Clinic helps each individual achieve the fullest quality of life possible with a commitment to his or her long-term care after orthotopic liver transplantation.

Types of diseases seen in the Liver Transplant Program

• Autoimmune liver diseases and diseases of uncertain etiology
  • Autoimmune hepatitis
  • Cryptogenic cirrhosis
• Cholestatic diseases of the liver
  • Alagille's syndrome
  • Autoimmune cholangitis
  • Biliary atresia
  • Byler's disease
  • Byler's syndrome
  • Caroli's disease
  • Primary biliary cholangitis
  • Primary sclerosing cholangitis
  • Secondary sclerosing cholangitis
• Diseases occurring after liver transplantation
  • Acute or chronic rejection
  • Biliary strictures
• Hepatobiliary malignancies
  • Cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancer)
  • Hepatoblastoma
  • Hepatocellular carcinoma
• Metabolic diseases
  • Alcoholic liver disease
  • Alpha 1 anti-trypsin deficiency
  • Familial amyloidosis
  • Hemochromatosis
  • Primary hyperoxaluria
  • Wilson's disease
• Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
  • Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis
• Recurrent disease (for example, hepatitis C)
• Vascular diseases of the liver
  • Budd-Chiari syndrome
  • Idiopathic portal hypertension
  • Veno-occlusive disease
• Viral hepatitis
  • Hepatitis B
  • Hepatitis C
  • Hepatitis D