Liver Transplant Evaluation Process and Wait Listing
Evaluation Process
Before final selection and listing for liver transplantation at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, your child will undergo a multidisciplinary pre-transplant evaluation to determine the current status of the liver disease. All of your child’s medical records, radiological studies, and liver biopsy materials will be reviewed. The evaluation may include:
Medical, surgical and support staff consultations with our:- Transplant surgeon
- Hepatologist
- Transplant coordinator
- Physician Assistant
- Nutritionist
- Pharmacist
- Blood tests
- Chemistry panel
- Liver panel
- Hematology group
- Blood clotting (coagulation) studies
- Two separate blood typing and antibody screens
- Infectious diseases tests for hepatitis serologies, HIV, cytomegalovirus and Epstein-Barr virus
- Imaging studies and other tests
- Ultrasound of the liver
- Liver biopsy (optional)
- MRI of the liver (optional)
- Psychosocial and developmental evaluations with our:
- Social worker
- Child development expert
Our team will meet with your family and discuss all treatment options after this evaluation is complete.
Organ Waiting List
Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital has one of the shortest waiting times for an organ on the West Coast. Our mean wait time for an organ is one month. Please visit the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR) Web site for more information.If your child becomes a candidate for liver transplantation, his or her name is added to the national liver transplant waiting list. The waiting list is maintained by the United Network of Organ Sharing (UNOS). UNOS administers the list and coordinates the matching and placement of donor organs. Sicker children are placed higher on the waiting list.
The Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) Web site provides the policies for organ allocation from deceased donors.