Liver Transplantation | This is what cirrhosis of the liver looks like in the final stage

Liver Transplantation

Since liver cirrhosis is a permanent and life-threatening disease, liver transplantation is the only therapeutic option for cirrhosis and restoration of liver function. Liver transplantation is a rare and high-risk surgical procedure in which a complete or partial liver or part of a liver is transplanted from a deceased or living donor. Since a healthy liver is sufficiently large, only parts of the liver can be transplanted or, in the case of a healthy donor, parts of the liver can be removed without any consequences.

However, the selection of recipients is complex and is carried out according to various strict criteria. The severity of the disease is determined by the so-called “MELD score”. Other criteria such as age, the prospect of an improvement in vital function or abstinence from alcohol also play an important role.

So life expectancy in the final stage

Cirrhosis of the liver is a permanent disease that cannot be reversed even by therapies of the causes, such as treatment of hepatitis or abstinence from alcohol. The prognosis depends entirely on the residual function of the liver to maintain vital filtering functions or blood clotting. Liver transplantation is the only therapeutic option besides symptomatic diagnosis and treatment of secondary diseases.

However, the involvement of the many organ systems in advanced liver cirrhosis increases the risk of serious infections or bleeding in the final stage to such an extent that the overall prognosis is very reduced despite medical monitoring and early therapies. For stage “Child C”, the overall 1-year survival probability is 35%.