Donor factors and liver transplantation

There are thus many factors that may affect the suitability of a donor liver for transplantation, and a reliable, objective method of determining whether or not a liver is likely to function adequately after transplantation is urgently required. At the present time, however, the decision to use a particular donor liver remains a matter of clinical judgement. This decision will inevitably be influence both by the general availability of donor organs and by the urgency of recipient need at the time the liver becomes available, but should nevertheless be based primarily on an appreciation of the donor factors described above.