Preoperative Evaluation for Liver Transplantation

  The following is a list of routine tests (not all) necessary for patients preparing for liver transplantation: 1. Blood tests including blood group, blood routine, blood biochemistry, virus and special infection tests (such as hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus, HIV, cytomegalovirus, tuberculosis, syphilis), etc.  2.Electrocardiogram, echocardiogram To understand the function of the heart and whether there are organic lesions of the heart.  3.Blood gas analysis, pulmonary function, chest X-ray, lung CT to understand the respiratory function and whether there is any potential disease in the lungs or.  4.Abdominal ultrasound, CT, MRI, arteriography To determine the nature and extent of liver lesions, whether there are abnormalities in the biliary system, whether other abdominal organ lesions are combined, whether there are vascular variants, blood flow and whether liver lesions (such as tumors) involve major blood vessels.  5. Patients with primary liver cancer with lung CT and whole body bone scan are also routinely performed preoperatively to exclude distant metastases.  Liver transplantation evaluation is an ongoing process that still requires repeated evaluation even if the patient has been hospitalized pending liver transplantation.  The purpose of this evaluation is to determine whether: 1) liver transplantation is currently the best treatment for the patient; and 2) the patient is a suitable recipient for transplantation. The term “suitable recipient” refers to a patient with end-stage liver disease and relatively good function of other organs.