Liver Transplantation

The UCLA transplant programs have maintained a remarkably cohesive surgical, medical and support staff, which forms an experienced and committed team to face the challenges of organ transplantation. Physicians in many subspecialties act as consultants to the transplant programs, and their breadth of experience enhances the clinical success of all of the transplant programs at UCLA.

Liver transplantation was introduced as a clinical procedure over 30 years ago. Since that time, the number of liver transplants performed yearly in the United States has increased to an annual rate of well over 4,000.

The development of effective immunosuppressive drugs and the refinement of surgical procedures have led to remarkable improvements in the long-term success of liver transplantation. This procedure is now widely recognized as an effective, and preferred, therapeutic option for the treatment of end-stage liver disease.

The liver transplant program at UCLA was inaugurated in 1984 and has grown to be the most active program in the world. Since the program's inception, liver transplants have been performed at UCLA for infants, children and adults, focusing on innovative surgical techniques, advances in immunosuppressive drugs and quality patient care.

As the most experienced liver transplantation program in the western United States, UCLA serves patients from California, Oregon, Washington, and throughout the Southwest, and acts as a tertiary referral center for other transplant programs faced with particularly challenging cases.

The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) provides a toll-free patient services lines to help transplant candidates, recipients, and family members understand organ allocation practices and  transplantation data. You may also call this number to discuss problems you may be experiencing with your transplant center or the transplantation system in general. The toll-free patient services line number is 1-888-894-6361.