What does whole, split and reduced-size liver mean?
A liver from a deceased donor can be used in two ways: The whole liver is used in one person (almost always the case), or the liver is split between two recipients (done very uncommonly). The liver’s unique ability to grow back to its normal size makes split-liver donation possible. The right lobe, which is larger, goes to an adult. The left lobe, which is smaller, goes to a child or a small adult. In liver transplantation, matching organ size from donor to recipient is very important. Today, thanks to new harvesting and preservation techniques, surgeons can take a deceased donor liver and reduce its size for a closer recipient match. These protocols make it possible for the donor to weigh much more than the recipient. Split and reduced-size liver transplants have extended the availability of deceased donor liver organs. Still, because there is a shortage of organ donors, there is no guarantee when a donor liver will become available.
