Historical perspective of living donor liver transplantation.
Living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) has gone through its formative years and established as a legitimate treatment when a deceased donor liver graft is not timely or simply not available at all. Nevertheless, LDLT is characterized by its technical complexity and ethical controversy. These are the consequences of a single organ having to serve two subjects, the donor and the recipient, instantaneously. The transplant community has a common ground on assuring donor safety while achieving predictable recipient success. With this background, a reflection of the development of LDLT may be appropriate to direct future research and patient-care efforts on this life-saving treatment alternative.
Chan
See Ching
SC
Department of Surgery, The University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital, 102 Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China.
Fan
Sheung Tat
ST
D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D006801:Humans; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000266:history*; D019520:Living Donors / Q000266:history*