Liver transplantation

The development of liver transplantation has been difficult. However, substantial advances have been made mostly because of better surgical techniques and because of better postoperative management. It has been necessary for surgeons to be more inquisitive about the reasons for post-transplantation liver dysfunction rather than to ascribe hepatic perturbations to rejection. With these nonspecific improvements, there has been movement of liver transplantation into the area of actual service. Before the next great step will be made, there must be an improvement in immunosuppression. The nature of such improvement is not yet clear.