Thomas Jefferson University Hospital commences live donor liver transplant program

The Division of Transplantation in the Department of Surgery at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital (TJUH) has started a live donor liver transplant program. Live donor liver transplantation (LDLT) is a procedure in which a living person donates a portion of his or her liver to another person. Combined, the two operations typically take about 12 hours. Since the program began in summer 2010, three patients and their donors have successfully undergone the procedure.

"The start of this program marks the beginning of a new era in transplantation surgery here at Jefferson," said Cataldo Doria, M.D., Ph.D., Nicoletti Family Professor of Transplant Surgery at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, and director of the Division of Transplant Surgery at TJUH. "This achievement was possible due to the efforts of everyone involved in the liver transplant program and the incredible support of the Department of Surgery, Jefferson Medical College and Thomas Jefferson University Hospital Administration." In addition to Dr. Doria, the LDLT transplant surgery team consists of Warren Maley, M.D, director of the LDLT program, and an associate professor of Surgery; Carlo Ramirez, M.D., an associate professor of Surgery; and Adam Frank, M,.D., an assistant professor of Surgery.

Jefferson has been designated a Live Donor Liver Transplant Center by the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), the organization that administers the nation's policies on organ transplantation and procurement. The designation makes Jefferson's one of only three adult-to-adult living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) programs in the Delaware Valley.

The liver is an organ that controls metabolism and detoxification of the body. Liver failure is often caused by the intake of poisonous drugs or substances, which can damage large parts of the liver beyond repair causing it to no longer function properly. Liver failure can also be caused by certain viruses, long-term consumption of alcohol, malnutrition and genetic disorders. Most often liver failure occurs gradually and over many years.

TJUH has a long tradition of outstanding achievement in its liver transplant program -- having performed the first liver transplant in the Delaware Valley more than 25 years ago and being ranked by U.S. News & World Report as among the best in the nation for digestive disorders. Our experts are also leading the field of clinical trials and research studies for viral hepatitis, medication induced liver disease; and liver cancer, through the Hepatology and Liver Surgery sections, and the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson.