title: Liver transplantation in Korea: past, present, and future.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study reviewed the past and present status of liver transplantation (LT) and outlooks for the future of LT in Korea.
  
  
  METHODS
  The first LT in Korea was successfully performed using a deceased donor graft in 1988. Pediatric and adult living donor liver transplantations (LDLTs) were initiated in 1994 and 1997, respectively. From 1988 to 2013, 10,581 LTs were performed at 40 centers, whereas LDLT accounted for 76.5% of all LTs.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the early 1990s, the deceased organ donation rate was less than 1.5 per million population (PMP) per year, but it increased to 5 PMP beginning in 2008. Despite the increasing number of deceased donor liver transplantations (DDLTs), high prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV)-induced cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has provoked persistent performance of adult LDLT with technical advancement including middle hepatic vein (MHV) reconstruction of right lobe graft and dual graft LDLT with 1 nationwide donor mortality.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The number of LTs in Korea in 2010 was 23.2 PMP (1042 LTs/45 million population), lower than 23.5 PMP of Spain, but higher than 20 PMP of the United States. However, future LT numbers may decrease because of lowering the HBV carrier rate (neonatal HBV universal vaccination began in 1992), new potent anti-HBV agents, and lowest birth rate (1.22 children per family) with a decrease of potential live donors.
authors.affiliation: Hepato-Biliary Surgery and Liver Transplantation, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. Electronic address: sglee2@amc.seoul.kr.
authors.forename: S G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Hepato-Biliary Surgery and Liver Transplantation, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: D B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Moon
authors.affiliation: Hepato-Biliary Surgery and Liver Transplantation, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.affiliation: Hepato-Biliary Surgery and Liver Transplantation, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: C S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Ahn
authors.affiliation: Hepato-Biliary Surgery and Liver Transplantation, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: K H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Hepato-Biliary Surgery and Liver Transplantation, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: G W
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: Hepato-Biliary Surgery and Liver Transplantation, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: D H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.affiliation: Hepato-Biliary Surgery and Liver Transplantation, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: T Y
authors.initials: TY
authors.lastname: Ha
authors.affiliation: Hepato-Biliary Surgery and Liver Transplantation, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: G C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Hepato-Biliary Surgery and Liver Transplantation, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: B H
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Jung
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D005544:Forecasting; D006515:Hepatitis B virus; D006801:Humans; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends*; D056910:Republic of Korea; D009927:Tissue and Organ Procurement / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends