Leaders in Liver Transplantation
Our Liver Transplant Program treats people with advanced-stage liver disease from across the U.S. Patients consistently exceed average national survival rates. As one of the nation’s top programs, we also perform living donor liver transplants.
When you need a liver transplant, Stanford Health Care provides careful assessment and compassionate, effective care. We provide liver transplants to treat liver disease that results from a wide variety of conditions. We also treat people who have other liver disorders, such as portal vein thrombosis, biliary diseases, and other conditions.
For complex cases, our multispecialty team of hepatologists, surgeons, and other specialists meets weekly. The team pools its expertise and discusses the best approach to your treatment. As a result, you can have confidence that you receive a complete assessment to deliver the right care for your needs.
We also perform adult living liver donor surgery, whether the recipient is another adult or a child. Our surgeons also perform transplants through the Pediatric Liver Transplant Program at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford.
Our team has extensive experience with all conditions affecting people awaiting liver transplant. We offer liver transplantation to treat:
Acute liver failure
Alcohol-induced liver disease
Autoimmune liver diseases
Inherited liver conditions
Nonalcoholic fatty liver diseases
Other liver conditions
Cirrhosis is the final stage in chronic liver disease, when scar tissue slowly replaces healthy, functioning liver tissue. As tissue is lost, the liver can no longer effectively process nutrients, hormones, drugs, and poisons. In advanced cirrhosis, the liver also cannot efficiently produce proteins and other substances your body needs.
Our transplant hepatologists are members of the Stanford Liver Transplant Program. If you have advanced cirrhosis, your hepatologist can arrange an evaluation to determine if liver transplantation is an appropriate treatment option.
Any untreated liver disease has the potential to progress to cirrhosis. We treat all causes of cirrhosis, including:
Liver cancer includes cancer that starts growing in the liver (also called primary liver cancer). It also includes cancer that begins elsewhere in the body and travels to the liver (called metastatic or secondary liver cancer).
A liver transplant may be an option for people with:
Our liver transplant specialists work in partnership with the Stanford Gastrointestinal (GI) Cancer Program to treat liver cancer through transplantation. That means you receive comprehensive care from an expert team of liver cancer specialists.
Asian Americans are 4% of the U.S. population but more than 50% of people chronically infected with hepatitis B. This virus is the leading cause of liver cancer.
Stanford Health Care leads efforts to end hepatitis B and liver cancer among Asians and Pacific Islanders. Our Asian Liver Center is the nation’s first nonprofit organization to take action against this population’s disproportionately high rate of disease. Additionally, our outreach clinics offer convenient, compassionate, and culturally sensitive liver care to Asian communities throughout the Bay Area.
People who have human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and severe liver disease can receive liver transplants from HIV-positive organ donors. Through our innovation and teamwork among specialties, Stanford Health Care is among a select few centers in the world to offer liver transplants to eligible HIV-positive people.
If you have HIV and would like to be considered for a liver transplant, you must meet specific criteria to be eligible. Learn more about eligibility by calling 650-736-5555 or emailing Radhika Kumari, MD, atrkumari@stanford.edu.
Our team has extensive experience with all conditions affecting people awaiting liver transplant. We offer liver transplantation to treat:
Acute liver failure
Alcohol-induced liver disease
Autoimmune liver diseases
Inherited liver conditions
Nonalcoholic fatty liver diseases
Other liver conditions
Cirrhosis is the final stage in chronic liver disease, when scar tissue slowly replaces healthy, functioning liver tissue. As tissue is lost, the liver can no longer effectively process nutrients, hormones, drugs, and poisons. In advanced cirrhosis, the liver also cannot efficiently produce proteins and other substances your body needs.
Our transplant hepatologists are members of the Stanford Liver Transplant Program. If you have advanced cirrhosis, your hepatologist can arrange an evaluation to determine if liver transplantation is an appropriate treatment option.
Any untreated liver disease has the potential to progress to cirrhosis. We treat all causes of cirrhosis, including:
Liver cancer includes cancer that starts growing in the liver (also called primary liver cancer). It also includes cancer that begins elsewhere in the body and travels to the liver (called metastatic or secondary liver cancer).
A liver transplant may be an option for people with:
Our liver transplant specialists work in partnership with the Stanford Gastrointestinal (GI) Cancer Program to treat liver cancer through transplantation. That means you receive comprehensive care from an expert team of liver cancer specialists.
Asian Americans are 4% of the U.S. population but more than 50% of people chronically infected with hepatitis B. This virus is the leading cause of liver cancer.
Stanford Health Care leads efforts to end hepatitis B and liver cancer among Asians and Pacific Islanders. Our Asian Liver Center is the nation’s first nonprofit organization to take action against this population’s disproportionately high rate of disease. Additionally, our outreach clinics offer convenient, compassionate, and culturally sensitive liver care to Asian communities throughout the Bay Area.
People who have human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and severe liver disease can receive liver transplants from HIV-positive organ donors. Through our innovation and teamwork among specialties, Stanford Health Care is among a select few centers in the world to offer liver transplants to eligible HIV-positive people.
If you have HIV and would like to be considered for a liver transplant, you must meet specific criteria to be eligible. Learn more about eligibility by calling 650-736-5555 or emailing Radhika Kumari, MD, atrkumari@stanford.edu.
Part of what makes our program unique is the broad range of liver transplantation options we offer. We specialize in advanced approaches that provide a transplant and treat related conditions during one operation. We often can offer options to people with complicated cases that other centers have turned down. Whatever your needs, your doctors and care team will discuss your treatment options and recommend the best approach for you.
We are the only program on the West Coast, and one of only a few in the world, to offer laparoscopic liver surgery for living donors, which has fewer complications and a faster recover time.
Laparoscopy shortens a living donor’s hospital stay and recovery time. This minimally invasive procedure can be used if a living donor is in good health and a match for the recipient. The procedure allows clinicians to manipulate tools through tiny holes in the body. A small video camera and a light on the end of the surgical tools enable surgeons to visualize the internal operating area. The camera projects an image on a screen so that clinicians can observe their progress while they work. Compared with traditional open surgery, the donor returns more quickly to normal life, experiences less pain and fatigue, has smaller scars, and runs a lower risk of an incisional hernia.
Due to the shortage of donor organs to meet the growing demand, transplantation from an expanded criteria donor (ECD) may be an option for some transplant candidates. ECD livers are not considered ideal or standard, but they can significantly shorten the waiting time to transplantation. Our team has expertise in assessing ECD livers as an option for some recipients.
Stanford Health Care offers one of the top liver transplant programs in the nation. Building on a long history of innovation, our team is revolutionizing transplantation with ongoing advances in immunology and clinical immunosuppression.
We care every day for people who come from all over the United States with advanced liver diseases or require a multiorgan transplant. Highlights of our program include:
Before any liver transplant, you’ll undergo a thorough evaluation to determine whether you are a candidate for transplant surgery. Once you’re approved for transplant, your name is placed on the national organ waiting list, which is maintained by the United Network for Organ Sharing. Overall waiting time varies depending on how urgently you need a new liver.
We offer:
Conventional liver transplant
We replace a diseased liver with a healthy one from a deceased donor. This is the most common type of liver transplant performed today.
Living donor liver transplantation (LDLT)
You receive part of a healthy liver from a living donor who donates a portion of their liver. Finding a living donor match shortens your waiting time, increases long-term transplant success, and gives you the flexibility of scheduling your date of surgery. Become a living liver donor »
Depending on the size and body shape of the donor and recipient, we may be able to perform laparoscopic liver resection surgery for living donors. This innovative procedure uses several small incisions to remove one lobe of your liver. After laparoscopic surgery, people usually recover faster and feel better sooner. We use laparoscopic surgery most often when the recipient is a child, because these transplants require a smaller portion of the donor liver.
Learn more about living donor liver transplants »
Split liver transplant
A single, deceased donor liver is divided into right and left portions that surgeons implant into two recipients simultaneously.
The first split liver transplantation was performed by Stanford Medicine in 1996, with both recipients making smooth recoveries. This innovative surgical technique maximizes the benefit of each available donor organ and makes transplantation possible for two people.
Multiorgan transplant
If you have a serious illness that is causing multiple organ failure, your transplant team may recommend a combined organ transplant to help restore your quality of life. In these procedures, you receive a new liver and another new organ during the same surgery. Stanford Health Care operates one of the West Coast’s busiest combined organ transplant programs.
People who need combined organ transplantation are listed on both organ waiting lists. Waiting time to transplantation will vary depending on the organs you need. We care for you while you await transplant and as you recover, with sophisticated support including extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). ECMO can replace the role of your heart and lungs to supply your body with blood and oxygen while you heal.
Stanford Medicine surgeons have expertise performing several types of combined organ transplants with excellent outcomes:
In addition to transplantation, our multidisciplinary team specializes in a wide range of other complex liver procedures. Our hepatobiliary surgeons offer advanced procedures including:
We collaborate with a multidisciplinary team and offer surgical and nonsurgical approaches for:
Clinical trials are research studies that evaluate a new medical approach, device, drug, or other treatment. As a Stanford Health Care patient, you may be eligible to participate in open clinical trials to evaluate new breakthroughs.
Open trials refer to studies that are currently recruiting participants or may recruit participants in the near future. Closed trials are not currently enrolling, but similar studies may open in the future.
Stanford Health Care’s Liver Transplant Program is one of the most active and successful liver transplant centers in the country. Year after year, our transplant program has outperformed the expected and national patient and graft (transplanted liver) survival rates. We provide the highest level of care to help extend and improve the quality of life for each of our patients.
To learn more about statistics related to liver transplantation, visit the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR). The national registry reports that:
In addition, our comprehensive multiorgan transplant program offers liver-kidney, lung-liver, heart-liver, and other combined organ transplants. In our multivisceral transplant program, we care for people who need an intestine transplant, some of whom may also need a liver transplant.
Stanford Health Care performs more adult liver transplants than any program in the Bay Area.
Liver experts and specialists from many disciplines provide you with a complete transplant evaluation. This team supports you with medical care and education throughout your transplant and recovery.
Transplant surgeons are doctors who specialize in organ transplantation. They evaluate you before putting you on the transplant list, perform the transplant surgery, and oversee your care in the hospital after transplant. Our liver transplant surgeons specialize in surgery and minimally invasive procedures to treat all types of liver conditions.
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Hepatologists are doctors who diagnose and treat conditions affecting the liver. Our transplant hepatologists have extensive training and experience in treating all stages of liver disease, before and after liver transplant.
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Hepatobiliary surgeons have specialized training in performing procedures involving the complex structure of the liver, surrounding veins, bile duct, and gallbladder. Our hepatobiliary surgeons treat benign and malignant diseases of these organs.
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Infectious disease specialists are doctors who diagnose, treat, and help prevent diseases caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites in transplant recipients. People who receive organ transplants must take medications that suppress the immune system (immunosuppressants) to help prevent organ rejection. Immunosuppressants increase your risk of developing infections, and an infectious disease specialist helps minimize that risk.
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Liver radiologists obtain images of the liver using X-rays, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT) scans, ultrasounds, and other technology.
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Oncologists focus on the diagnosis and treatment of tumors and cancer. Our liver oncologists may offer medical or surgical care for all types of liver cancer, working closely with the oncologists in the Stanford Gastrointestinal (GI) Cancer Program.
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Pathologists examine tissue samples taken through an endoscopy or a biopsy to determine the presence of a wide variety of diseases. A highly trained pathologist on our team views samples of liver tissue under a microscope to look for liver disease or monitor its stages.
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Anesthesiologists are doctors with training to administer and manage anesthesia during a surgical procedure, such as organ transplantation. They are also responsible for managing and treating changes in your critical life functions—breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure—during surgery.
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Pre-transplant patient care coordinators are your first point of contact. They schedule your appointments with the team for evaluation, tests, and other services to complete the evaluation process. Pre-patient care coordinators work closely with pre-transplant nurse coordinators to help you navigate the entire evaluation process.
Pre-transplant nurse coordinators manage your evaluation process once you are referred to us for organ transplantation. They help you understand the physical and psychosocial implications of a transplant. They also obtain your medical history and testing from your doctors and inform you about upcoming appointments and tests. They monitor your health while you are on the organ waitlist before transplant surgery.
Post-transplant nurse coordinators organize all aspects of your care after your transplant. Before you leave the hospital, they provide you with the education you need to have a successful post-transplant course. Your post-transplant nurse coordinator manages your outpatient care when you come to the clinic and serves as your primary contact for your post-transplant needs.
Along with your post-transplant nurse coordinator, post-transplant patient care coordinators help coordinate your post-transplant care. They schedule your clinic appointments and tests, track test results, and manage your medication refills.
Advanced practice providers include nurse practitioners and physician assistants. They work with transplant surgeons and hepatologists to manage your care before and after the transplant.
ILDAs serve as living donor resources and advocates from the time that a potential living donor contacts the transplant program, throughout the process, and after donation. These staff members help ensure that the rights of a potential organ donor are fully represented.
Registered dietitians work closely with you and your family to help you meet your nutritional needs before and after the transplant. Transplant dietitians help you learn about a nutritious diet to speed your recovery and maintain lifelong health.
Transplant pharmacists work closely with you to ensure that your medications are correct after your transplant. Before you leave the hospital, the transplant pharmacist teaches you about your transplant medications. They make sure you are on the correct types and doses of medications and monitor for interactions between medications.
Physical therapists help you regain your strength and function with movement and endurance exercises after your transplant.
We offer a vast array of support services to help you feel your best throughout your care, from diagnosis through treatment and recovery.
Learn more about the programs and services associated with the Stanford Health Care's Liver Transplant Program:
Before, during, and after transplant, our liver transplant team provides you with personalized care. We work with you to determine what type of therapy or procedure is right for you, offer you and your family support and resources, and keep you informed at every stage.
The first step is to undergo a thorough liver transplant evaluation to find out if you are a candidate for transplantation. Once approved for transplant, you are placed on a national waiting list for a liver. Your wait time on this list depends on your severity of illness.
During this time, you will need to have regular doctor visits, laboratory tests, and periodic radiologic studies. It is vital that you stay in contact with the transplant program. As soon as a suitable donor liver is identified, we want to make sure you are ready to undergo liver transplantation.
After transplant, your doctors will work closely with you to tailor a care plan for you. Your care team may recommend taking medications on a daily basis to protect your new organ. Your immune system sees your new liver as a foreign invader and tries to get rid of it, which is known as rejection.
These medications work to prevent acute rejection. Depending on your individual case, rejection can appear in the first year as the body reacts to the newly transplanted organ. Chronic rejection happens over a longer time and is the primary cause of transplant organ failure over time.
As you move forward in your transplant journey, keep in mind that liver transplant is an option—each individual makes a choice to undergo this surgery. If you have questions at any stage of the process, please ask. Your commitment, compliance, and motivation are crucial for the transplant to be a success. Your new liver is a precious gift that needs to be treated with much care and respect.
The first step is to undergo a thorough liver transplant evaluation to find out if you are a candidate for transplantation. Once approved for transplant, you are placed on a national waiting list for a liver. Your wait time on this list depends on your severity of illness.
During this time, you will need to have regular doctor visits, laboratory tests, and periodic radiologic studies. It is vital that you stay in contact with the transplant program. As soon as a suitable donor liver is identified, we want to make sure you are ready to undergo liver transplantation.
After transplant, your doctors will work closely with you to tailor a care plan for you. Your care team may recommend taking medications on a daily basis to protect your new organ. Your immune system sees your new liver as a foreign invader and tries to get rid of it, which is known as rejection.
These medications work to prevent acute rejection. Depending on your individual case, rejection can appear in the first year as the body reacts to the newly transplanted organ. Chronic rejection happens over a longer time and is the primary cause of transplant organ failure over time.
As you move forward in your transplant journey, keep in mind that liver transplant is an option—each individual makes a choice to undergo this surgery. If you have questions at any stage of the process, please ask. Your commitment, compliance, and motivation are crucial for the transplant to be a success. Your new liver is a precious gift that needs to be treated with much care and respect.
With minimally invasive laparoscopy, Karen Gilmer Pon donated a small segment of her liver to her son and was well enough to visit by his bedside the day after surgery.
An updated scoring system developed by Stanford Medicine researchers will more accurately prioritize patients on the liver transplant waiting list based on medical urgency.
The Stanford Health Care Liver Transplant Program provides seamless access to all of Stanford Medicine's transplant care services. You can access everything from diagnostic evaluation to treatment and follow-up in a convenient network of Stanford Health Care Liver Clinics throughout the Bay Area and beyond. See our map to learn more and find the location nearest you.
Stanford Health Care provides comprehensive services to refer and track patients, as well as the latest information and news for physicians and office staff. For help with all referral needs and questions, visit Referral Information.
You may also submit a web referral or complete a referral form and fax it to 650-320-9443 or email the Referral Center at ReferralCenter@stanfordhealthcare.org.
We are committed to maintaining regular communication with referring physicians, including sending all records regarding consultation and outpatient clinic visits and a summary of Liver Transplant Selection Committee minutes.
TRANSFER CENTER
Phone: 1-800-800-1551, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
To request an appointment with one of our transplant specialists, call:
Stanford Liver Transplant Program at Boswell Building:
650-498-7878
Stanford Liver Transplant Program in Chico:
650-725-1988
Stanford Liver Transplant Program in Fresno:
650-725-1988
Stanford Liver Transplant Program in South Lake Tahoe:
650-725-1988
Stanford Liver Transplant Program in Turlock:
650-725-1988
Stanford Liver Transplant Program in San Jose:
650-725-1988
Stanford Liver Transplant Program in Santa Maria:
650-725-1988
Stanford Liver Transplant Program in San Luis Obispo:
650-725-1988
Stanford Liver Transplant Program in Templeton:
650-725-1988
Stanford Liver Transplant Program in Pleasanton:
925-278-7025
