Why Some Kids May Need a New Liver

The liver is a super organ that does hundreds of important jobs. It cleans your blood, makes critical proteins, and produces a liquid called bile, which helps digest the food you eat. In some children, the liver can get very sick because they are born with a blockage in the tubes that carry the bile to the intestine, which causes bile to build up in the liver and damage it. When the liver cannot do its job properly, the sick liver must be replaced through a major operation called a liver transplant. For children, a small piece of an adult liver is often enough. After surgery, patients need medication to help them adjust to their new liver. Liver transplantation in children is a wonderful example of how the liver can adapt, regenerate, and grow with its new owner, giving kids a new chance to live their best lives.