Liver Transplant Center

World-Class Care from an Experienced Team of Specialists

A liver transplant is a life-changing experience for your child and family, and you want the best, most experienced transplant team by your side every step of the way—from evaluation to surgery to long-term follow up. At Cincinnati Children’s, our surgeons perform some of the most complex liver transplant procedures, including transplants on newborns and liver transplants from living donors.

Our pediatric liver transplant center is one of the largest in North America, but we are committed to helping families schedule their child’s first appointment as soon as possible. We are able to get patients within a month of their initial call, when needed, or sooner if the need is more urgent. We know that time is of the essence when a child is suffering from a serious liver disease.

Why Choose Cincinnati Children’s

The Liver Transplant Center at Cincinnati Children’s is one of the busiest in the nation, averaging 21 transplants each year. We offer:

• Shorter wait times to transplantation Patients at Cincinnati Children’s receive a new liver nearly three times faster than the national average.
• Living donation program Cincinnati Children’s has been performing living donor liver transplants for more than 20 years. This option can dramatically reduce the amount of time a child spends on the waiting list.
• Multidisciplinary care Our team includes pediatric liver specialists, transplant surgeons, radiologists, nurses, nutritionists and many others who specialize in caring for children who are undergoing a liver transplant. In addition, we collaborate with other experts throughout the medical center for more complex conditions. These experienced providers work as a team to make sure your child has the best outcome possible.
• Specialized care for children with liver tumors For the last 10 years, our team has performed more liver transplants for patients with liver tumors than any other hospital in the country. Our liver transplant team works closely with cancer specialists at Cincinnati Children’s to coordinate each child’s care, offering advanced cancer therapies before and after transplantation. These therapies are available at the Cancer and Blood Diseases Institute at Cincinnati Children’s, whose pediatric cancer program is ranked #3 by U.S. News and World Report in the 2020 – 21 rankings.
• Family support When a child is facing liver transplantation, the whole family needs support. Our care team has walked this road with many families over the years, and will provide the resources you need to understand your child’s condition and treatment, and face the challenges ahead.
• Advanced technology Cincinnati Children’s is one of the few pediatric hospitals to offer advanced imaging and surgical technologies, as well as innovative strategies to improve liver function while patients are waiting for transplant. One example is the Molecular Adsorbent Recirculating System, or MARS, which removes toxic substances causing liver disease and can help maintain liver function while a patient awaits a transplant.
• Cutting-edge liver disease research The Liver Care Center at Cincinnati Children’s conducts basic and clinical research studies to find new therapies for end-stage liver disease, including non-surgical alternatives to liver transplant.