Evaluation of Living Donors for Liver Transplantation
摘要
Living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) is a safe and effective treatment for most patients in need of liver transplantation. It relies on healthy donors donating a portion of their liver, which is possible due to the regenerative capacity of the liver. A comprehensive medical, surgical, and psychosocial evaluation of healthy liver donors is imperative to achieve excellent donor and recipient outcomes. This is accomplished by a multidisciplinary team that works together to identify any medical, anatomic, or psychosocial findings that may preclude donation through clinical evaluation, laboratory analysis, and abdominal imaging. This chapter outlines the key components of the evaluation process of a potential living liver donor and reviews important considerations when accepting or excluding patients for liver donation.