What are the most common diseases treated by liver transplantation?
A large number of diseases can interfere with the functions of the liver sufficiently to threaten the life of the patient, and most are potentially treatable by liver transplantation. In adults, cirrhosis (when normal liver cells turn into scar tissue due to a variety of causes) is one of the most common reasons for which liver transplantation is done. In children, the disease most often treated by liver transplantation is biliary atresia (a failure of the bile ducts to develop normally to drain bile form the liver).
