Overview of pediatric liver transplantation.
Liver transplantation is a successful and useful therapy for children with chronic or end-stage liver disease and those with a variety of extrahepatic metabolic diseases that can be corrected by liver replacement. Major developments in medical management, donor availability and procurement, operative techniques, and post-operative management all contributed to the dramatic improvement in outcome and growth of liver transplantation from its inception in 1963 [1,7,21]. The excellent long-term outcomes that have been achieved are the product of the coordinated efforts of liver transplant surgeons, specialists in pediatric hepatology and other medical areas, nurses, local practitioners, and the patients and their families. Future advances in transplant immunobiology, organ availability and infection control are likely to lead to still greater improvements in short and long-term outcome [34].
Rand
Elizabeth B
EB
University of Pennsylvania, 3600 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA. rand@email.chop.edu
Olthoff
Kim M
KM
D002648:Child; D000075202:Contraindications; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000009:adverse effects; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D008111:Liver Function Tests; D016031:Liver Transplantation; D018529:Nutritional Support; D018579:Patient Selection; D019990:Perioperative Care; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000517:prevention & control; D014019:Tissue Donors
D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents