Amal Al-Sibai

Saudi Gazette

 

JEDDAH — In the last year, 106 liver transplant surgeries for children were successfully performed at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center (KFSHRC) in Riyadh of which 38 surgeries took place this past year.



"The successful execution of such a large number of liver transplantations in children puts KFSHRC on top of the list of hospitals worldwide that have the capability to perform this intricate, complex, and life-saving procedure. KFSHRC even outnumbered Stanford Medical Center, known for its top-notch medical care, in the number of liver transplantations performed on children. Last year, 35 pediatric liver transplantations were performed at Stanford whereas 38 cases were performed here in Riyadh," said Dr. Qasim Al-Qasabi, executive supervisor of the general organization for KFSHRC.



He added: "The superb skill, dedication, and hard work of a team of surgeons, nurses, and hospital administrations played a pivotal role in making these surgeries possible, resulting in a 95 percent success rate.

"The age of the children who received a new liver at the hospital ranged from five months to 15 years."



To be given a new liver means to be given hope, to be given a second chance at life when all other treatment options failed.



When the liver has become damaged as result of illness, infection, or a tumor, the liver becomes scarred, and the condition is known as cirrhosis. It is very difficult to treat and once it reaches a certain level, the liver gradually loses all of its functions and at this point develops into liver failure.



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



Research and advances in surgical procedures have revolutionized liver transplantation and have cut in half the waiting period that patients may have to endure until they receive a viable liver, and this stride has been made at KFSHRC.



Traditionally, the organ for liver transplant was obtained from deceased donors, after they or their families have given consent to be an organ donor. Unfortunately, there are not enough deceased donor organs available for today’s growing list of people who are waiting for a liver transplant.



Many patients waiting for liver transplants become too sick to undergo transplant surgery, and some may die while on the waiting list. An alternative is to receive a portion of a liver from a healthy, living donor. 



In a live donor liver transplant, a portion of the liver is surgically removed from a live donor (approximately one half) and transplanted into a recipient, immediately after the recipient’s liver has been entirely removed.



Live donor liver transplantation is possible because the liver, unlike any other organ in the body, has the ability to regenerate, or grow. Both the transplanted section and the remaining section of the donor’s liver re-grow back into a normal sized liver within around 4 to 8 weeks after surgery.  



The main advantage of live donor liver transplantation is the shortened waiting period for the sick patient.



In the past, some patients have developed complications and died while waiting for a deceased donor organ.



Promising studies have also shown that the incidence of organ rejection is reduced with the live donor transplant and life-expectancy for the receiving patient improves. 



Especially in children, living liver donor transplantations have become widely accepted. The accessibility of adult parents who want to donate a piece of the liver to their children has substantially reduced the number of children who would have otherwise died waiting for a transplant.



The donor surgery usually begins early in the morning and may last between eight and 10 hours.



After that, the recipient’s surgery may take up to six to12 hours. Surgeons today are able to perform organ transplantation without problems. The most important criterion for a living liver donor is to be in excellent health.



Donors must be less than 55 years old, because the liver does not grow back as well in older people.



The transplant team at KFSHRC provides both the donor and family with much needed counseling and psychological support which will continue until a full recovery of both the donor and the recipient is made.



"A new and innovative type of liver transplantation in addition to the aforementioned live donor transplant has been performed for the first time in the Kingdom at KFSH with positive results.



"This type, called split donation, involves the removal of a liver from a person who died recently and the liver is split into two pieces; one large and one smaller piece.



"Each separate piece of the liver is transplanted into a different person, where the liver will grow to a normal size and function well.



This new life saving procedure can benefit two patients, rather than one;  another leap in the treatment of patients with liver disease in the Kingdom,” said Dr. Dieter Broering, director of Organ Transplant Center at KFSHRC.