Liver Transplant

Living Donors

Preparation
Procedure
Recovery

Procedure

You will be asked to donate blood before surgery in case you need it. During the surgery, about 40 percent to 60 percent of your liver will be removed.

The liver is divided into a right lobe and a left lobe. The anatomical division between the lobes permits surgeons to divide the liver into two distinct parts that can function independently of each other. The right lobe comprises about 60 percent of the total liver volume and the left lobe comprises approximately 40 percent. When the recipient is a child, a piece of the donor's left lobe, called the left lateral segment, is removed. Surgery on the donor and the recipient take place at the same time, in separate operating rooms.

Reviewed by health care specialists at UCSF Children's Hospital.
Last updated May 8, 2007