Liver transplantation in a 48-year-old female with primary biliary cirrhosis

In 1983, a Danish female with primary biliary cirrhosis underwent orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). The transplantation took place in Groningen under a Danish-Dutch cooperation, at this writing, and more than four years after transplantation, the patient is still alive. The quality of her life has been dramatically improved, making possible her return to work. Liver tests, liver function, and biopsies are normal and without signs of development of primary biliary cirrhosis in the transplanted liver. Liver transplantation is now frequently performed at several centres throughout the world with an increasing success rate. In Scandinavia, centres have been established in Norway, Finland, and Sweden, whereas in Denmark the organisation of a programme for liver transplantation is still being discussed. Because of the extremely high costs, liver transplantation has to be approved medically and politically, and the brain death criteria have to be accepted before it can be considered as a generally accepted modality of treatment.