KARACHI, Dec 9: Liver failure, after hepatitis- B and C, is stated to afflict a large segment of Pakistani population, with liver transplantation as the ultimate treatment for the condition.

According to a Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT) report the country requires some 2,000 livers and around 6,500 kidneys for transplantation annually which cannot be provided due to non- existence of brain-death and cadaver organ donation.

On the one hand a large number of brain-death organs are wasted due to the absence of the relevant law, on the other the liver-related programme is not sufficient to meet the requirements.

Four categories of diseases require liver transplant; chronic liver disease leading to cirrhosis, acute liver failure due to hepatitis -B or drugs such as paracetamol, congenital metabolic disorders seen in children and localised small liver cancers.

Absolute contraindications are AIDS, severe heart diseases and cancer spreading beyond the liver.

Since the liver has a remarkable capacity to shrink or grow into appropriate size, adult livers could be segmented and transplanted into small children.

Split liver grafts or using one liver for two recipients is also said to be increasingly used with good results. With improvement in the techniques for the procedure and careful patient care, the survival rate of liver transplantation is said to have reached 90% to 95% in the countries where liver transplantations are performed.—APP