When does one need liver transplantation?
Liver transplant is a surgical procedure, which removes the damaged or non-functional liver from a body. It is then replaced by a healthy liver from a deceased donor or a portion of the healthy liver from a living donor.
The liver surgery cost in India is expensive because it is definitely a complicated procedure. It is essential to know to keep your liver healthy and why it should keep functioning without any interrruption.
It is the largest internal organ in a human body, and it is known to perform certain critical functions that include:
- Processing nutrients, medications and hormones.
- Making proteins that help the blood clot
- Producing bile, which helps the body absorb fats, cholesterol and fat-soluble vitamins.
- Preventing infection and regulating immune responses
- Removing bacteria and toxins from the blood.
Why liver transplant?
Liver transplant is not a regular surgery, and this treatment is only opted when one is facing some significant health complications because of a chronic liver disease. This surgery can also be opted as a treatment when there is a sudden failure of a healthy and perfectly functioning liver.
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Well, liver failure can either be sudden or over a long time period. If the liver failure is instant, then it can work only a few weeks, and it is called acute liver failure. This is a very uncommon condition, and it can happen only if there are certain complications regarding certain medications.
However, a liver transplant can actually treat chronic liver failure too. The chronic liver failure occurs due to several reasons and the major one is the scarring of liver cirrhosis. When this happens, the scar tissue replaces the normal and regular liver tissues. This scarring can stop the liver to function properly. Hence, one needs a liver transplant so that the liver can start functioning healthily again.
Here are some major reasons for liver cirrhosis:
- Hepatitis B and C.
- Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease where fat builds up in the liver, causing inflammation or liver cell damage.
- Alcoholic liver disease, which can cause damage to the liver due to excessive alcohol consumption.
Full Liver or Partial Liver Transplant?
One can go for a full liver transplantation, but the number of deceased donors are much lesser than the number of people awaiting the surgery. Hence, a feasible option is to take help of some living donor for the transplantation process and go for the partial liver transplant surgery. This is possible because the human liver can regenerate itself and then return to its normal size very soon after the surgical removal is done from it.
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In a Nutshell:
This ‘living donor liver transplant’ is done when there is liver cirrhosis. It is also a treatment option for people who are suffering from liver failure and their condition cannot be controlled with an alternative procedure.
This procedure can also be done on patients who are suffering from liver cancer. The liver transplant price will depend on certain criteria such as doctor fees, hospital charges, facilities availed, etc.