History of liver transplantation

Abstract

For millennia, we have known that the liver is essential to life. And yet, curing a failing liver was not possible until just 50 years ago. The fathers of liver transplantation were not only brilliant clinicians and surgeons but also dedicated scientists who made key contributions to unraveling our entire immune system. The once-insurmountable barriers of immune rejection, vascular anastomosis, organ preservation, and donor shortages were overcome with landmark breakthroughs after decades of experimentation and setbacks. This chapter presents the dramatic story of how liver transplantation evolved from a dangerous, experimental, and desperate procedure to a standard of care for a multitude of previously incurable ailments.