Liver Transplant

Candidates

Two main considerations for whether someone is a candidate for liver transplant are:

• Your condition will benefit from a liver transplant
• The surgery would do more good than harm

Several liver diseases and cancers may cause someone to need a liver transplant, after treatment with medication is no longer effective. These include:

• Primary biliary cirrhosis
• Primary sclerosing
• Hepatitis B with cirrhosis
• Hepatitis C with cirrhosis
• Hereditary amyloidosis
• Polycystic liver disease
• Budd-Chiari disease
• Wilson's disease
• Alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency
• Familial hypercholesterolemia
• Primary oxaluria
• Acute fulminant hepatic failure
• Primary hepatic tumors that are confined to the liver
• Metabolic diseases reversible with transplantation
• Alcoholic liver disease (Demonstrated abstinence from alcohol and/or drugs and a psychosocial evaluation by Mayo staff are required.)

In some cases, a liver transplant is not an option; for example, if you have an active infection, malnutrition, addictions or certain diseases (such as most cancers).