Why is Korea the best option for a living donor liver transplantation?
The liver is an irreplaceable vital organ in our body that performs numerous functions. It is also the only organ that has the function of regeneration (the ability to restore damaged or partially removed tissue), therefore, in the terminal stages * (liver cancer, cirrhosis, etc.) of liver diseases, there is hope for liver transplantation from a living donor. In Korea, foreigner patients are candidates only for a living donor liver transplantation. This means, legally, Korea doesn’t allow liver transplants from deceased donors for foreigners.
Living donor liver transplantation in Korea success rate
- Proven experience: Korean medical institutions report over 1,000 living donor liver transplant surgeries per year. Koreans usually prefer to find a suitable donor among their relatives rather than to go through the organ donation (deceased donors) process. Thus, Korean doctors have vast experience and have developed various techniques to perfect the LDLT procedure: surgery and recovery.
- Highest rate worldwide for LDLT surgery success and survival rate: The success rate of liver transplant surgery in Korea exceeds that of the USA and Europe and is the highest in the world — 99% for the recipient. For the donor, the success rate of the surgery is 100%. The survival rate is also high. According to recent data, the survival rate is even higher: 1 year – 97%~98%, 2 years – 84%~85%, 3 years – 83%.
- Medical multi-department approach: To maintain the patient’s condition before the surgery, during the surgery and for a quick recovery after the surgery, specialists from various departments take part during the whole process. The team consists not only of surgeons, but also of gastroenterologists, nutritionists, anesthesiologists, care staff in the intensive care unit and hospital, specialized coordinators and nurses of the outpatient department. Also, to prevent complications, there is a team of gastroenterologists, cardiologists, infectious disease specialists, endocrinologists, etc.
Which hospitals does Medical Avenue recommend for living donor liver transplantation?
