Impact of orthotopic liver transplantation on mortality from pediatric liver disease.

In 1983 we assessed the implications for hepatic transplantation programs by studying mortality from liver disease in a tertiary care children's hospital. The current study reviews the impact of orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) on survival for the period 1984-1989. Findings showed that deaths from liver disease decreased from 9.2 to 3.8 per year. Twenty-eight infants and children were referred and underwent OLT, with a 64% survival rate. Deaths from biliary atresia, which used to account for 24% of the total, have been reduced to 4.3%. Deaths from liver failure in infancy (which decreased from 49% to 39%) still present formidable challenges for transplantation. The implications of these findings are discussed.