Pediatric Liver Transplant
Learning that your child needs a liver transplant is scary and stressful. You’ll settle for nothing less than the highest level of care – and neither will we. Nationally recognized by U.S. News & World Report as a Best Children’s Hospital, Levine Children’s Hospital is home to one of the most experienced liver transplant teams in the Carolinas.
When your child is referred to Levine Children’s Hospital for a liver transplant, you can always have peace of mind they’re getting the care they need to get healthy now – and to stay healthy as they grow up.
Child-Focused Liver Transplant Care
At Levine Children’s Hospital, we deliver family-focused care in a kid-friendly environment. With a specialized team and amenities just for kids, we make sure your child’s experience is as comfortable as possible.
But liver transplants affect more than the child, which is why we also care for the family, offering family support services and safe, welcoming places to stay nearby.
Common Conditions Leading to a Liver Transplant
For children with complex or severe liver conditions, medication isn’t always the most effective treatment. When medication isn’t the best option, a liver transplant can be a life-changing alternative.
These diseases most commonly lead to a liver transplant:
- Acute liver failure
- Alagille syndrome
- Alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency
- Autoimmune hepatitis
- Biliary atresia
- Glycogen storage disorder
- Hepatoblastoma
- Hepatocellular carcinoma
- Primary sclerosing cholangitis
- Progressive familial cholestasis
- Urea cycle defects
- Wilson's disease
Pediatric Liver Transplant Process
Before your child’s transplant and long after, our liver transplant care team is there every step of the way. We make sure your child is a safe candidate for a liver transplant, and together, we’ll decide if this is the best option.
This is what you can expect the process to look like:
- Evaluation – We begin the liver transplant process with basic evaluations, including a medical exam, blood tests, breathing tests and more. From there, your child is placed on a national liver transplant waiting list.
- Transplant – On average, waiting times can range from a few days to a few months. When your child’s liver is available, they’ll have transplant surgery at Levine Children’s Hospital and will spend 7 to 10 days recovering in our pediatric intensive care unit and progressive care unit.
- Recovery – Our care doesn’t stop when your child goes home. From putting your child on the right medications to keeping their immune system strong, we help you navigate life after transplant.
Your Liver Transplant Team
Liver transplants are more than life-changing – they’re lifesaving. Our team of liver transplant specialists works closely to give your child the expert care they deserve – and a new chance at a normal, healthy life.
At Levine Children’s Hospital, your child has access to an expert care team, including hepatologists, transplant surgeons, transplant pharmacists, pathologists and nurse practitioners. Your child will also work closely with nutritionists, child life specialists, social workers and interventional radiologists.
Together, we work to make sure your child receives the physical and emotional support they need for every aspect of their liver transplant.
Meet Some of Our Patients
Just like you, these families know what it’s like to have a child who needs a liver transplant. Hear their stories, and learn more about their liver transplant journeys.
Learn more about one of the best pediatric GI programs, created from scratch in Charlotte.
Learn More About Liver Disease
Knowing your child has end-stage liver disease and needs a transplant is something you can never prepare for. But with the right information – and an expert care team to back you – the promise of a healthy future is something you can look forward to.