Indications for liver transplantation in pediatric patients.
Orthotopic liver transplantation has become a widely accepted therapy for children with end-stage liver disease.  Several factors need to be kept in mind when advocating this procedure in pediatric patients. These include the following:  (1) Liver transplantation is a high-risk procedure with a 10-15% mortality in the best of circumstances.  (2) Recipients require long-term drug administration and have a potential for chronic disability.  (3) The procedure is extremely expensive.  (4) The long-term survival remains unknown.  (5) Newer techniques and procedures need to be carefully evaluated.  These factors, and the indications and contraindications for this procedure are discussed in this overview.
Departments of Pediatrics and Surgery, The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine and the Wyler Children's Hospital, IL.
P F
PF
Whitington
J C
JC
Emond
D D
DD
Black
S H
SH
Whitington
P
P
Boone
C
C
Smith
J R
JR
Thistlethwaite
C E
CE
Broelsch
D002648:Child; D000075202:Contraindications; D006801:Humans; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000601:surgery*; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends*; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000639:trends*