Yes, it is possible to donate a portion of your liver to a person suffering from cirrhosis. This procedure, known as Living Donor Liver Transplantation (LDLT), offers a lifesaving option for individuals with end-stage liver disease. Cirrhosis represents severe, irreversible scarring of the liver, which ultimately prevents the organ from performing its necessary functions. Because the human liver has a unique capacity to regenerate, a healthy person can safely donate a part of their liver to replace the diseased organ in the recipient.
The Role of Living Donor Transplants in Treating Cirrhosis
Living donation becomes necessary for cirrhosis patients due to the severe shortage of deceased donor livers. The number of people waiting for a transplant significantly outweighs the available organs, leading to long wait times and the risk of deterioration. Living donation allows the recipient to receive a transplant much sooner, often preventing complications from prolonged liver failure.
Transplant centers use the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score to assess the severity of a patient’s liver disease and prioritize their position on the deceased donor waiting list. Patients with very high MELD scores receive top priority, but those with lower scores can face extensive delays. Living donation allows the transplant to be scheduled at an optimal time, usually before the recipient becomes critically ill, offering a significant advantage over waiting for an unpredictable deceased donor organ.
Planning the surgery ensures the donated liver portion, or graft, has a shorter “cold ischemia time”—the period the organ is without blood circulation and stored on ice. This shorter period, compared to deceased donor organs, often contributes to the superior quality of the graft. Patients receiving an LDLT frequently experience fewer medical issues post-procedure and may have better short-term survival rates.
Donor Suitability and Comprehensive Evaluation
The safety of the living donor is the highest priority, necessitating a rigorous, multi-stage screening process before donation can occur. Potential donors must be in excellent physical and mental health to withstand major surgery and recover without long-term complications. Most centers require donors to be between 18 and 60 years old and have a Body Mass Index (BMI) below a specific threshold, typically 32, to reduce surgical risks.
The evaluation involves medical tests to confirm the absence of underlying conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, active infections, or fatty liver disease. Imaging tests, including CT scans and MRIs, map the liver’s anatomy, ensuring the blood vessels and bile ducts are suitable for donation. This assessment calculates the precise size of the segment to be removed, confirming the remaining liver portion in the donor will be large enough to sustain their health.
A thorough psychological and social evaluation is a mandatory part of the screening process. This involves meeting with independent advocates and mental health professionals to ensure the decision to donate is voluntary, informed, and free from coercion. While the recipient’s insurance typically covers the donor’s medical costs related to the evaluation, surgery, and follow-up care, the social assessment also confirms the donor has a robust support system for recovery.
The Surgical Procedure and Liver Regeneration
The living donor liver transplant procedure involves two simultaneous operations in separate operating rooms for the donor and the recipient. For the donor, the surgeon removes a segment of the liver, typically the right lobe, amounting to about 55 to 70% of the total organ for an adult-to-adult transplant. This segment is immediately implanted into the recipient after their diseased liver has been entirely removed.
The liver is the only human internal organ capable of significant regeneration, which makes this donation possible. Following the removal of a portion, the remaining liver in both the donor and the recipient begins a process of rapid regrowth. Liver function often normalizes within two to four weeks in the donor. The volume of the liver in both individuals returns to nearly its original size and mass within approximately six to twelve weeks post-surgery. This regeneration ensures the donor’s long-term liver function is not permanently impaired. The transplanted segment in the recipient also rapidly grows, restoring normal function and sustaining the recipient’s life.
Post-Procedure Recovery and Long-Term Outlook
Following surgery, the donor typically remains in the hospital for five to ten days for initial recovery. Full recovery, including the return to normal activities and work, usually takes between two to three months, though some donors report not feeling completely normal for up to six months. Donors are advised to avoid strenuous activities and heavy lifting for several weeks to allow the surgical incision and the liver to heal.
The long-term outlook for living liver donors is positive, with most individuals returning to a normal, healthy life once regeneration is complete. For the recipient, the prognosis is generally favorable, especially since the transplant is performed electively with a high-quality organ. Recipients must commit to taking lifelong immunosuppressive medication to prevent their immune system from attacking the new liver.
This regimen ensures the body accepts the donated liver segment. LDLT provides excellent long-term survival rates for cirrhosis patients. The procedure also frees up a deceased donor liver for another patient waiting on the transplant list.