Services & Specialties
Liver Care

A liver patient being examined by a doctor.

Expert Care for Children with Liver Disease

Whether your child has symptoms of liver disease or has already been diagnosed with a liver condition, you’ve come to the right place. At Cincinnati Children’s, we’re known for:

  • A long and successful history. We founded our Pediatric Liver Care Center more than 25 years ago, making it one of the oldest and most distinguished programs of its kind in the nation.
  • Unmatched experience. Because our experts have seen so many patients over so many years, we’re skilled at identifying and treating even the rarest liver diseases. Physicians around the world routinely consult with our team—or refer their patients to us for care—because we can treat what many others can’t.
  • Prompt access to care. We offer same-day and next-day appointments for children who need urgent evaluations and can see you within 48 hours for serious needs that aren’t life-threatening. Your child doesn’t need to be an existing Cincinnati Children’s patient to be seen quickly by one of our liver specialists.
  • Better outcomes. Not only do we offer more treatments for more conditions, but we routinely have better outcomes than other centers. For example, our success rates for pediatric liver transplant consistently exceed the national average—and the median wait time for a new liver at Cincinnati Children’s is much shorter than the national average.

These qualities (and more) have made Cincinnati Children’s an international destination for people seeking care for pediatric liver disease. Families from many countries travel here for life-changing or lifesaving treatments, such as breakthrough medicines or surgery. We also can provide a second opinion about your child’s diagnosis or their treatment options.

Please contact us to schedule an appointment.

Why Choose Cincinnati Children’s for Liver Disease Care

Families also turn to Cincinnati Children’s because we offer team-based, research-driven care for all types of liver disease.

Collaborative Care

When you and your child visit Cincinnati Children’s, we want you both to feel comfortable and well-cared for.

As an extra layer of support, we assign a nurse with advanced training in liver disease to every patient and family. This gives you someone to turn to whenever you have questions or concerns. And your child will see a familiar face every time they’re here.

You also can take comfort in knowing our nurses and hepatologists work closely with many other specialists, such as genetic counselors and rheumatologists (autoimmune disease specialists). Should your child need any other tests or treatments, we’ll make sure they receive seamless, coordinated care.

No Condition is Too Complex

We treat all types of liver disease in infants, children and teens.

Our areas of expertise include common conditions such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). We also treat rare disorders such as biliary atresia, progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis (PFIC), autoimmune liver disease and Wilson’s disease.

Advanced Testing and Treatment Options

Cincinnati Children’s offers tests and treatments that you can’t find at every medical center. These include:

  • Less invasive (and even noninvasive) diagnostic procedures. For example, with endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided liver biopsy, we can take tiny samples from the liver without surgery.
  • Comprehensive genetic testing and counseling.
  • A liver transplant program that accepts whole and partial livers from deceased donors, and partial livers from healthy adult living donors. Our median wait time for a liver from a deceased donor is much shorter than both the regional and national average. And although living liver donation is less common, if you or someone you know is a good match for your child, we may be able to perform your child’s transplant (and remove them from the waiting list) more quickly
  • The Kasai procedure (a type of surgery for infants with biliary atresia that can help delay, or in some cases prevent, the need for a liver transplant). Our success rate for this procedure is much higher than the national average.

Liver Disease Research

Our Pediatric Liver Care Center is home to researchers and physician-scientists committed to improving liver disease diagnosis and treatment.

By leading national and international studies, we’re learning more about the causes of liver disease (and who it’s most likely to affect). We’re also improving our ability to diagnose liver disease early—and finding safer, more effective ways to treat it.

As our patient, your child may be able to participate in a clinical trial for promising new medicines or procedures before they’re widely available.

And because our team remains on the forefront of research, we’re able to implement new findings or treatment strategies right away.

Nationally Recognized Care

Cincinnati Children’s is ranked No. 1 in U.S. News & World Report’s 2023-2024 list of best children’s hospitals in the nation. And our gastroenterology (GI) and GI surgery program (which includes our liver disease team) is ranked No. 2 in the nation.

Get a Second Opinion from Cincinnati Children’s

You don’t need a physician referral to get a second opinion from one of our liver disease specialists. We routinely see families who want to:

  • Confirm a new diagnosis
  • Discuss their child’s current treatment plan
  • Ask another expert whether surgery or a nonsurgical treatment is the best option
  • Learn about the potential risks and benefits of recommended treatments, as well as recovery times and possible side effects

If your child’s medical situation is urgent, we can usually schedule a second opinion appointment within 48 hours—or sooner if necessary.

To best manage your child’s care, please contact us to schedule an appointment.

Transplant Procedure

transplant
Learn more about what to expect during the liver transplantation process, including frequently asked questions and medications associated with liver transplants. Learn more

Conditions Treated

Learn more about conditions and treatments.
Learn about the different conditions treated at the Liver Care Center - from acute liver failure to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).  Learn more

Research Efforts

Learn more about our research.
Our research programs help us lead the way in healthcare delivery for liver disease patients through basic science research, clinical research, translational research and outcomes research.
Read more