The UCSF Liver Transplant Program is one of the nation's leading liver transplant centers for both children and adults. Designated a "Center of Excellence" by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, our team has transplanted livers into more than 2,300 recipients, including nearly 300 children.
Children who receive livers at UCSF have a survival rate of more than 95 percent after one year and 90 percent after five years, well above the national average. Our program also has one of the lowest re-transplantation rates in the country. After liver transplant, most children return to a normal quality of life and catch up or accelerate in growth. We have a number of former patients who have given birth to their own healthy children.
Our primary goal is to return patients to a "normal" lifestyle as soon as possible. To accomplish this, we have a comprehensive approach to patient care. The program's internationally recognized surgical team is supported by specialists in gastroenterology, infectious disease, anesthesiology, liver disease and pharmacology as well as by nurse coordinators, social workers, mental health professionals, a nutritionist and financial counselors.
For many years, one of the challenges to doing liver transplants in children was the difficulty of finding small livers from deceased donors. However, a new procedure allows living donors to donate a segment of their liver, which grows to the appropriate size in the child. The donor's remaining liver will regenerate, eventually growing back to its original size. UCSF's team was among the first in the world to perform this surgery.
Our liver transplant research has included testing new anti-rejection drugs, contributing to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Liver Transplant Database and establishing procedures for treating Hepatitis B and liver cancer patients with transplants.
Your child will need a referral from a liver specialist or other doctor to be evaluated for a liver transplant. Once the referral is made, we will call you to schedule the evaluation.
Liver Transplant Program
400 Parnassus Ave., Sixth Floor
San Francisco, CA 94143
Phone: (415) 476-5892
Fax: (415) 476-1343
Hours: Monday to Friday
9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Last updated September 1, 2010
