The UCSF Medical Center is a major center for liver transplants.
Liver transplantation is used in a number of causes of end-stage liver disease.
In adults, these include chronic active hepatitis, primary biliary cirrhosis, and Wilson's disease. In children, these include chronic active hepatitis, neonatal hepatitis, and inborn errors of metabolism. Physicians in UCSF's Liver Transplant Service evaluate each patient to determine if he or she is an appropriate candidate for liver transplant. Approximately 16,000 people are waiting for liver transplants in the United States, but only about 5,000 livers are available through organ donation. This shortage of livers has resulted in the increasing use of less than perfect organs.