At least 30 million Americans have some form of liver disease. And each year, doctors diagnose about 21,000 new cases of primary liver cancer.
If you're living with a chronic liver disease or liver cancer, you have hope at UPMC’s Liver Transplant Program of the Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute.
The philosophy of our program is to provide liver transplant services and surgery options to all who will benefit, including those that other transplant centers deem high-risk or unfit for transplant.
Call 833-514-5999, Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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Located in Pittsburgh, the UPMC Liver Transplant Program is part of the Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute. This combined effort provides you with a multidisciplinary, team-based approach to your care.
Treatment options for adults who have liver diseases or malignancies include:
Liver resection involves the total or partial removal of the liver. Because of its regenerative ability, liver resection allows for continual functionality, even when parts of it are removed.
For patients diagnosed with liver cancer, liver resection offers the best chance for long-term survival. Our team has extensive experience in minimally invasive (laparoscopic) liver surgery as well as traditional (open) liver surgery. UPMC’s liver surgeons have pioneered minimally invasive (laparoscopic) liver surgery and have performed this technique more than 250 times — making them one of the most experienced teams in the United States.
UPMC is one of the oldest and largest liver transplant programs in the country. Since the program's inception in 1981, more than 6,000 adults have received liver transplants. This experience allows us to treat patients with complex liver conditions, including those with advanced liver cancer.
From the early years when Dr. Starzl pioneered a new field of surgery to more recent breakthroughs in immunosuppressive therapies, this progress has given hope to thousands of people with liver disease.
Bile duct cancer is cancer in the tubes that carry bile from the liver to the gallbladder. Bile is fluid your liver makes and uses to digest fats in the food you eat. At UPMC, our transplant team conducts different surgeries to treat bile duct cancer, such as:
Portal hypertension is the increased pressure in the portal vein, which is often a symptom of liver disease that is commonly caused by scarring in the liver. Similarly, variceal bleeding is initiated when there is too much pressure on the portal vein, causing blood flow to be restricted or pushed backward.
At UPMC, depending on the complexity of the disease, we provide treatment options such as liver transplantation and antiviral medicines used for treating hepatitis B and hepatitis C.
Find out what to expect with our liver transplant process at UPMC.
From the early years when Dr. Starzl pioneered a new field of surgery to more recent breakthroughs in immunosuppressive therapies, this progress has given hope to thousands of people with liver disease.
Meet some people who chose UPMC for liver transplant surgery.
UPMC and Donate Life America are partnering to raise awareness of living donation.
Learn more about this partnership.UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh opened the first pediatric organ transplant program in the United States. The Hillman Center has performed more children's organ transplants than any other pediatric center in the nation.
Learn more about pediatric transplants.
