Ammon – Turkey is the first country in the world in terms of liver transplantation from a living donor, as it has the best centers for organ transplantation from living donors. The Transplantation Center of Acıbadem University Hospital routinely performs liver transplantations for pediatric patients. Some of these children have complex cases and have been refused treatment in their countries. Liver and kidney transplantations at the same time during one surgery are also successfully performed at Acıbadem Center. The success rate of liver transplantation is 90%-92% in the best international centers, while this rate rises to 93%-94% in the Organ Transplant Center at Acıbadem University Hospital.
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Liver transplantation is the most appropriate life-saving option when liver failure occurs. Acıbadem Liver Transplant Center at Atakant University Hospital in Istanbul is the reference center for complex cases inside and outside Turkey. Liver transplantation for children is distinctly different from that for adults. This difference is due first to the reasons that require agriculture. In adults, liver failure is usually caused by viral jaundice, alcoholic fatty liver disease or fatty liver disease. While children often need a liver transplant in cases of congenital malformations or biliary atresia. In addition, narrow vessels, tiny bile ducts, and the narrow space of the liver pose an additional challenge for surgeons. At Acıbadem Group University Hospital, liver transplantations for children and infants have been performed routinely for many years, with excellent results. Professor Hamdi Karakayali, Head of the Organ Transplantation Department, says: “Some of the patients who come to Acıbadem Hospital have been refused liver transplantation in other centers due to their complex cases. Thanks to our experience of more than 30 years, we are able, thanks to God, to care for these patients as well.”
Children may be born with congenital malformations that require liver transplant surgery, which is most often the only solution for these children to continue their lives. Immediately after diagnosis, a liver transplant should be scheduled for the child as soon as possible after the necessary conditions are met. Performing a liver transplant on infants was impossible a few years ago due to the difficulties caused by the small body, organs and arteries of children weighing less than 10 kg. But today, liver transplantation can be performed even on children whose weight ranges between 4 and 4.5 kg. Liver and kidney transplants for children suffering from metabolic disorder are performed successfully.
The necessity of liver transplantation in children, unlike adults, may be caused by congenital malformations such as underdevelopment of the bile ducts, excessive storage of certain substances in the liver or deficiency of certain enzymes. Because the liver does not function normally, these patients may experience developmental delays and some irreversible problems later. Worse still, 90% of these babies may die within a few months after birth if they are not treated immediately. When liver transplantation is performed on time, children can recover quickly, attend school, get married later, and have children in their future lives.
The most ideal source of organs for liver transplantation is the deceased who have decided during their lifetime or whose families have accepted to donate their organs in the event of clinical death. However, it is more difficult for children to find a liver from a dead donor than it is for adults. Therefore, we usually use living donors who are relatives of the children. These donors must be over 18 years old, in good health, and must have donated a piece of liver previously.
A new life opportunity for baby Ahmed
Baby Ahmed, who suffered from cirrhosis of the liver because he was born with underdeveloped bile ducts, was given another chance at life through a surgery performed at Acıbadem Atakant University Hospital in Istanbul when he was just six months old.
After the birth of Ahmed Hussein, the third child of a Libyan family, he suffered from neonatal jaundice caused by underdevelopment of the bile ducts. If high levels of bilirubin are detected when the baby is one or two months old, a procedure called the Kasai procedure may be performed. But the child Ahmed was not lucky, as his condition was not discovered early and it developed into cirrhosis of the liver. The only remaining treatment method was liver transplantation.
When he was referred to the Liver Transplant Center at Acıbadem Atakent University Hospital, his vital conditions were poor, and he was suffering from malnutrition. It was necessary to improve his health condition before the operation by providing a good level of nutrition and enabling him to regain his strength, the ability of his immune system, and the blood clotting factors that he had lost. Likewise, after a three-week treatment, Ahmed’s condition improved and the infections in his body were eliminated, and the doctors decided to perform surgery.
A piece of liver weighing 210 grams was removed from Ahmed’s father, then surgeons transplanted it to the child to replace his diseased liver in an operation that lasted more than 8 hours. The surgical team created bile ducts from pieces of small intestine and connected them to the liver. These operations pose multiple risks to the child. Preparing for these risks during surgery on a young child requires extensive expertise and experience. Here lies the importance of preparing the child well for weeks before surgery so that his body can bear this complex operation.
The experience of the surgical team was important and directly contributed to the success of the operation, as was the anesthesiologists, intensivists and gastroenterologists who prepared the patient and provided care for him before and after the liver transplant.
Mr. Hussein Al-Majjoub, Ahmed’s father and liver donor, and his wife, Mrs. Naila, express at every opportunity their great happiness for the treatment of their child in Turkey, stressing that all the procedures were very easy and that the employees of the Acıbadem Group were the best support throughout the treatment period.
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