A pediatric liver transplant surgery in Delhi is performed to replace the diseased liver with a healthy liver. The new liver comes from an organ donor who has just died, or it can also come from a living donor. A living donor can be a family member or someone outside the family who has the same blood type.
People who donate some part of their liver can live a healthy life afterward, as the liver is the only organ that regenerates.
After the surgery, the donor’s liver grows to standard size, and the part your child will receive as a new liver will also grow back to size in a few weeks.
In this post, we will see what are the most common reasons why a child needs a liver transplant !!
Pediatric Liver Transplant India: Why Does Your Child need it?
A liver transplant is recommended for children who have severe liver problems, and they will die if they do not get a new liver. The most common reason why children need liver transplants is biliary atresia. The reasons why children need liver transplants are:
- Hereditary liver diseases
- Liver cancers
- Liver tumors
- Acute liver failure
- Viral hepatitis
- Conditions present at birth like as Alagille syndrome or cholestatic disorders
- excessive iron buildup
- Alpha-1 antitrypsin, an inherited condition that increases chances of liver failure
Understanding Biliary Atresia : The most common reason for liver transplant in India
Biliary atresia is a rare but dangerous liver disease of infancy, characterized by obstructive jaundice and cholangitis. It is caused by the lack of bile ducts, which allow bile juice to flow from the liver to the gallbladder and then to the intestines.
Bile is also important and necessary for digestion and the expulsion of other unwanted materials from the human body. Bile that cannot flow through the ducts accumulates within the liver, causing liver disease and scarring known as Cirrhosis, which can be enough to end the patient’s life.
Symptoms and Diagnosis
Biliary atresia is characterized by jaundice that starts soon after birth, within the first one to four weeks of life. Patients might experience symptoms such as jaundice, dark-colored urine, fatty pale-colored stools, and a distended abdomen from their parents. These are warning signs, and the patient should seek medical help as soon as possible.
First, biliary atresia is diagnosed through laboratory analysis of blood tests showing hepatic function and often by ultrasound examination of the bile ducts; in some cases, a biopsy of liver tissue is also conducted.
The Kasai Procedure: An Initial Treatment
The first-line treatment of biliary atresia, regarded as BA in the present study, is the Kasai procedure which was established by the Japanese surgeon Dr. Morio Kasai. This surgery involves removing damaged bile ducts outside the liver and joining them with a loop of the child’s intestinal tract so that the bile runs freely to the intestines without entering the liver.
Although the Kasai procedure may help in establishing bile flow and slowing down the experience of liver deterioration, it is not curative. Even though in many children, the Kasai procedure is done, most such patients subsequently undergo liver transplantation if cirrhosis develops.
The Need for Liver Transplant in Children
Most of the children with biliary atresia are bound to undergo a liver transplant at some time in their lives. This is because, even after the Kasai procedure, there is still scarring of the liver, which results in liver failure.
The Transplant Process
The liver transplant is a complex process and involves several stages, including:
Evaluation: A medical check-up to confirm that the child is fit and appropriate for the transplant.
Documentation : Liver transplant in India regulated by the law ( organ transplant act) which prevents organ trade in India. It is important for patients seeking liver transplant in India to prepare such documents before leaving their home country , cross border care helps you in this documentation process.
Transplant Committee Approval: Liver transplant in India is governed by an organ transplant committee which is set up by the GOI to prevent illegal organ trade. Hence the committee first needs to establish patient and donor relations before liver transplant. It takes 15 to 20 days to seek approval from the committee.
Waiting List: HCV-infected recipient waits on a transplant waiting list if a suitable deceased donor liver is not available.
Surgery: Transplantation surgery is a complex operation requiring a professional team of surgeons.
Recovery: Various treatments are administered after the transplantation, particularly those given to prevent the new liver from being rejected, as well as check-ups on the child’s progress.
Life After Pediatric Liver Transplant in India
After the transplant, children usually can live full lives, but they must continue to attend follow-up appointments to guarantee that the new liver is working efficiently and that there are no adverse effects. Steroids must be taken to prevent the body from rejecting the new liver, and routine checkups must be done.
Consult Cross Border Care Today!!
Biliary atresia still represents the leading indication for pediatric liver transplantation. Progress made in medical science, available methods of early diagnosis, surgical treatment, and liver transplantation give a chance to children and their parents. The transplant is not easy; however, with ample care and medical attention, many children receive an opportunity to lead everyday healthy lives after the transplant.
To get top-notch pediatric liver transplant services in Delhi, contact Cross Border Care, one of the top medical consultants in India.
