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Prior liver transplant compatibility check is important for successful transplant results

by Joseph Luiz writer

Liver transplant is a life-preserving operation wherein an ailing and poorly functioning liver is replaced with a portion or whole liver of a healthy person. For people with organ failure, liver transplantation has become a popular treatment. Liver donor would be one who has been declared brain dead or a living individual (a relative or a friend) can also donate liver. However, before carrying out liver transplant operation, the liver transplant centers first match donors with recipients on the basis of liver transplant compatibility liver size and blood type.

In comparison with deceased-donor organ transplantation, living donor liver transplantation is a better alternative as the latter offers shorter waiting period and also offers equal or improved life expectancy. In living donor liver transplant, doctors remove a portion of a donor’s liver while another surgical team removes recipients entire diseased liver and restores it with a portion of donor’s liver that is healthy and fit. Since liver is the only body organ that has a property to regenerate so the donor’s liver and the portion of the donor’s liver donated to the recipient grows back to its full size after some time. The majority of regeneration occurs in the first two weeks of the transplant surgery which is then followed by a slower phase of growth over the next year.

The liver transplantation process starts with donor eligibility and information under which the transplant team evaluates donor’s physical and mental condition. First of all the liver donor could either be a relative or friend. A good donor is someone who should be older than the age of 18 and must be less than 55. He should be free from HIV infection, vital hepatitis, active alcoholism and heavy alcohol intake, psychiatric illness, heart and lung diseases, diabetes mellitus etc. Donor’s blood test is done so as to determine the compatibility of donor’s blood and tissue with the organ recipient. The donor needs to provide his/her complete medical history. Also, a thorough physical examination and psychological evaluation is carried out in the evaluation process. In addition to this, several other tests are performed like detailed imaging of donor’s liver so as to ensure donor’s good health and well-being.

Blood testing is the most important step in the preliminary evaluation process because mismatch between blood groups can cause reaction between donor and patient’s cells which may instigate rejection. After blood group, tissue testing is another most important matching criterion in liver transplantation. Tissue testing means ascertaining six codes present in a person’s tissue and its matching compatibility with donor. The human leukocyte antigen (HLA) test, which is also termed as HLA typing or tissue typing, is performed to identify antigens on the white blood cells (WBCs) that find out tissue compatibility for organ transplantation. These six codes are HLA-A, HLA-B, HLA-C, HLA-DR, HLA-DQ, and HLA-DP.        

 

Author is an experienced content writer who has been appreciated for his many online published articles. Now he is providing information on liver transplant compatibility.


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About Joseph Luiz Junior   writer

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Joined APSense since, October 15th, 2014, From Delhi, India.

Created on Dec 31st 1969 18:00. Viewed 0 times.

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