Conventional Transplant

This type of surgical procedure is performed to replace the diseased liver with a healthy liver from a deceased donor. Unfortunately, there aren't enough donor organs to meet the growing need. Patients often wait many years to receive a liver from a deceased donor.

Livers from deceased donors

Conventional transplant is the most common type of liver transplant performed today. In this type of surgical procedure, the donor organ used for your transplant will come from a deceased donor—an individual from whom at least one solid organ is recovered for the purpose of transplantation after suffering brain or cardiac death. Conventional transplant may be the best treatment option when a living donor is not available.

Regardless of your donor, you'll undergo a thorough evaluation to determine whether you're a candidate for transplant surgery. You cannot receive a liver transplant before the completion of all tests and consultations recommended by the committee. Once you're approved for transplant, your name will be placed on the national organ waiting list, which is maintained by the United Network for Organ Sharing.

Overall waiting time varies depending on how urgently you need a new liver. If you are sick, but not too sick, your name goes to the top of the list to find a compatible match.