Living-donor liver transplantation

The procedure

A living-donor liver transplant is a major operation to replace a diseased or damaged liver with a healthy one from a living human donor. The donor has an operation under general anaesthesia to remove either the right lobe of their liver (usually for transplanting into an adult) or the left lobe (usually for a child). Sometimes a liver segment is removed, and this can be transplanted into an infant or young child. The right lobe is larger than the left and is easier to transplant. However, removing it from the donor is more complex and carries more risks.

The donated liver is transplanted immediately into the recipient. The transplanted liver and the remaining part of the donor's liver regrow into a normal‑sized liver.