Things you must know about a liver transplant surgeon in India

Liver transplant is a surgery that is performed to remove a diseased liver and replace it with a healthy one from a donor. Located below the diaphragm on the right side of the abdomen, the liver is one of the largest human organs and performs some very vital bodily functions. Liver transplant becomes urgent when the liver is damaged by 80% to 90% and reaches the condition of end-stage liver failure. One of the most common liver transplant techniques is Orthotopic liver transplant, wherein the complete damaged liver is removed and replaced with a healthy one.

Some of the most common conditions that require a liver transplant in Indiaare:

●       Alcoholic Cirrhosis (liver damage due to alcohol)

●       Primary Biliary Cirrhosis

●       Malignancies involving liver

●       Hepatic Thrombosis (vein clot in the liver)

●       Metabolic disorders associated with liver failure like Wilson’s disease.

A liver transplant cannot be done directly just because there is someone who is need of one, and there is a donor available. Certain tests along with blood group matching, need to be done before doctors can carry out liver transplant:

●       Blood group should match

●       Other blood tests need to be done

●       Cancer test, if the person has cancer in any other part of the body, transplant can’t be done

●       Kidney function tests

●       Lung function tests

The donors are also screened for certain important tests before they can donate to determine compatibility with the recipient:

●       Crossmatch

●       HLA testing

●       CT scan to check the volume of fat

●       MRI to assess bile duct

Liver transplantation can, in many cases be the last resort of treatment when everything else has failed. Ideally, the surgery is undertaken before the terminal stage of the disease when the person is too ill to withstand major surgery. Liver transplant patients need to take lifelong immune-suppression medications and with good personal care and proper doctor’s advice, they can go on to lead a healthy normal life. One of the best hospitals for liver treatment in Delhi is the Center for Liver and Biliary Sciences at Max hospital in Saket, New Delhi. It is headed by Dr Subhash Gupta, one of the best liver transplant surgeons in India having performed numerous liver transplant surgeries in India.