Top tips:
- Referral to a Transplant Hepatologist should be considered for patients with decompensated cirrhosis, MELD-Na >15, or primary intrahepatic malignancies (hepatocellular cancer).
- There are many patient-related factors that can adversely affect patient outcomes. These factors can constitute relative or absolute contraindications to transplantation.
- Many transplant programs have made changes to criteria for transplantation in the setting of alcohol-related liver disease (including Alberta). An exception pathway may be available for highly selected individuals who may not have met 6 month abstinence criteria.
- Total tumor volume (TTV) and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) are used to guide liver transplantation eligibility for hepatocellular carcinoma.