Expanding the donor pool for liver transplantation.
Because of the growing shortage of donor organs, physicians and organ procurement agencies are expanding the donor pool through three mechanisms. The first mechanism is to increase the number of patients (and their families) who give consent for organ donation and thus extend the number of cadaveric livers. The second mechanism is that marginal livers, previously considered unacceptable for transplantation, are now being successfully transplanted. The third way to expand the donor pool is through advances in medical practice such as living-donor liver transplantation and split-liver transplantation.
Trotter
J F
JF
Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, 4200 East 9th Avenue, B-158, Denver, CO 80262, USA. James.Trotter@uchsc.edu.
D002102:Cadaver; D006266:Health Education; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000379:methods; D019520:Living Donors; D009926:Organ Preservation; D014019:Tissue Donors / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D009927:Tissue and Organ Procurement / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000379:methods*; D014481:United States