Which Children Need a Liver Transplant?

The children treated in the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital (LPCH) Pediatric Liver Transplant Program suffer from diseases and conditions causing irreversible liver damage so severe that transplantation is their only chance for long-term survival. Each child referred to our program undergoes a thorough evaluation to determine treatment options, including transplantation.

The severity of disease necessitating transplant is indicated by the following symptoms:

• Progressive jaundice — yellow staining of the skin, whites of the eyes, deep tissues, and excretions
• Severe ascites — accumulation of fluid leaking from the liver and small intestine into the abdomen
• Growth failure
• Encephalopathy — disorders of the brain due to a build-up of toxic material usually removed form the blood by the liver
• Variceal bleeding — blood loss from swollen, malformed blood vessels (varices) in the abdomen
• Intractable pruritus — severe itching
• Uncorrectable coagulopathy — blood disorders that cause abnormal clotting

Please visit our Health Library to find out more about these symptoms.