When is a liver transplant needed?

A liver transplant can make sense when cancer or cirrhosis with complications is the diagnosis. But when cirrhosis alone is the problem, such a drastic measure probably isn't needed, as transplant surgeon Tomoaki Kato, MD, explains.

Transcript

00:00

Just having a cirrhosis itself is not an indication for liver transplant. The cirrhosis with complication, we call it decompensation.

00:08

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00:22

Well, the liver transplantation is needed for the advanced liver disease, end stage liver

00:29

disease, typically of cirrhosis. But not having-- just having a cirrhosis itself is not an indication for liver transplant.

00:38

The cirrhosis with complication, we call it decompensation.

00:45

So the cirrhosis is complicated by acute bleeding problem.

00:52

The patient with cirrhosis has a tendency to bleed, bleed internally mostly,

00:58

or the patient start having the fluid accumulation in the abdomen, it's called ascites, or getting confusion, called hepatic encephalopathy.

01:08

These major complication and decompensation symptoms happens, that's when you really need a liver transplant.

01:14

And another common indication to go for liver transplant is the development of cancer.

01:20

The development of cancer is a part of the complication of liver cirrhosis. [AUDIO LOGO]