Living Donor Liver Transplant program

To help solve the deceased donor organ shortage challenge, family members, friends, and even strangers frequently inquire about the option of doing a transplant with a living liver donor.

The University of Washington Living Donor Liver Transplant Program (LDLT), in cooperation with the team at Seattle Children's Hospital, has the highest volume of adult to pediatric liver transplants in the U.S. this year and is the only group in the Pacific Northwest performing liver transplants in this innovative manner.

In LDLT, a portion of the liver is surgically removed from a healthy living donor and transplanted into the recipient once the diseased liver is removed.

LDLT is possible due to the liver’s remarkable ability to regenerate (regrow) in both the liver donor and the recipient. This regeneration is nearly complete by the third month after surgery, with the majority of regeneration being completed within three weeks of surgery. 

About 50% of living liver donors report a return to their normal life at six weeks and almost all donors are fully recovered after three months from their surgery date.

Dr. Kiran Bambha (Gastroenterology), is the medical director of the UW Living Donor Liver Transplant Program and director of the Liver Clinical Trials Unit, and Dr. Pamela Valentino, is the medical director of Seattle Children's Liver Transplant Program and director of the Liver and Intestinal Failure Clinical Center.