There are often questions about whether transplants can be performed only for adults or also for children. In reality, children may also require a liver transplant. Unfortunately, some children are born with liver diseases, and in such cases, a liver transplant becomes necessary.
What kinds of conditions lead to this? From birth, some children may have genetic diseases or metabolic disorders. In a few cases, the bile ducts fail to form properly. These children usually present with jaundice from birth, which gradually worsens over time and progresses to liver failure. For such children, a liver transplant can completely cure the condition and restore them to a normal state.
In about 70 percent of cases, as mentioned earlier, the primary cause is the failure of the bile ducts to develop — a condition known as biliary atresia. We regularly perform liver transplants for children affected by this condition.
Courtesy: Dr. Swaminathan Sambandam, a senior consultant and head, department of liver and multi-organ, transplant and HPB surgery, Kauvery Hospitals (Chennai/Trichy/Salem/Hosur/Tirunelveli)
