A liver transplant is an operation to remove your liver and replace it with a healthy one from a donor.
It may be recommended if your liver has stopped working properly (liver failure) and other treatments cannot help.
Having a liver transplant involves 3 main stages:
This can be a long and difficult process, both physically and emotionally.
Get advice about coronavirus and liver transplants from the British Liver Trust
Liver transplants are generally very successful and most people are eventually able to return to their normal activities afterwards.
It can take a year or more to fully recover.
After a liver transplant, you'll need to:
Most people live more than 10 years after a liver transplant and many live for up to 20 years or more.
Read more about life after a liver transplant.
A liver transplant is a big operation that has a risk of some serious complications. These can occur during, soon after, or even years afterwards.
Some of the main complications and risks of a liver transplant are:
A liver transplant will only be recommended if the risks of not having a transplant outweigh the risks of having one.
If you wish to donate your liver, there are 2 ways you can do this: