Pediatric Liver Transplant Program

Patients can be seen for a multidisciplinary transplant evaluation within 2 weeks or less.

As parents, you have easy access to your child's pediatric liver doctor. We also work with you and your child to provide personalized care, support, and guidance throughout the transplant journey.

You and your child meet with the multidisciplinary pediatric liver transplant team at every visit.

Through the Living Donor Liver Transplant Program, a person can donate a portion of their liver to someone in need of a liver transplant.

The GOAT Program is dedicated to supporting adult transplant recipients as they navigate life post-transplant, offering life skills training, health monitoring, and community support to help them thrive. Through tailored resources and ongoing guidance, the program ensures recipients continue to lead healthy, fulfilling lives after their transplant.

The PATH Transitions Program equips young kidney and liver transplant recipients with the education, coaching, and peer support needed to smoothly transition from pediatric to adult care. Tailored to meet the unique challenges of adolescence and young adulthood, the program ensures a seamless shift from Mass General for Children to adult transplant care at Mass General Transplant Center.

The Pediatric Liver and Biliary Disease Center at Mass General for Children diagnoses and treats infants, children and adolescents with diverse hepatic, biliary and pancreatic disorders.

At Mass General for Children, our Pediatric and Adolescent Surgical Oncology team provides compassionate care for young patients with pediatric solid tumors, like hepatoblastoma and hepatocellular carcinoma.

There are many reasons a child may need a liver transplant, some of which are listed below. These conditions include those that children are born with or that develop later in life. Many of these conditions do not allow the liver to function to its full capacity.

Conditions in the liver that do not allow it to work normally include: 

• Biliary atresia 
• Acute liver failure 
• Cirrhosis, end stage liver disease, with complications 
• Metabolic conditions like alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, Wilson disease 
• Alagille syndrome 
• Immunologic disease like autoimmune hepatitis and primary sclerosing cholangitis 
• Tumors like hepatoblastoma and hepatocellular carcinoma 

Genetic conditions that affect the function of your liver include: 

• Urea cycle defects and other metabolic conditions including cystic fibrosis, Crigler-Najjar syndrome, and hyperoxaluria 
• Inherited rare diseases like bile acid transport defects that include the various types of progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis (PFIC), and bile acid synthetic defects

We are happy to meet and evaluate your child even if they do not have any of the above diagnoses.

Our transplant coordinators work with each patient and family as well as with your child’s dedicated transplant team to allow smooth navigation before and after transplant. Each member of our pediatric liver transplant team continues to follow your child for the entirety of their care with our program, understanding the special nuances that impact a child and family related to living with a liver transplant.

Every team member draws upon their cutting-edge clinical knowledge combined with the emotional sensitivity and awareness of the distinct impact of transplant—and how this affects your child and family.

Meet the Pediatric Liver Transplant Team

The evaluation process includes medical, surgical, and psychosocial assessments, as well as lab and imaging tests. The pace of this evaluation is set by you, the parent. We work closely with families to ensure the child is ready for the transplant both emotionally and physically. The child’s name is then added to the United Network of Organ Sharing (UNOS) national liver transplant waiting list if you decide you would like to pursue deceased donor transplant. Our team will be with you and your child every step of the way, ensuring consistent and personalized care throughout the entire process.

Download a PDF of the Pediatric Liver Transplant Roadmap

Wait times vary based on factors like blood type, size of the child, as well as other factors. However, living liver donation can significantly cut the wait time and often has better outcomes. All potential donors undergo an extensive evaluation to ensure they meet the requirements and can donate safely. The process begins by contacting the Living Donor Liver Transplant Program team at 617-643-5202 or completing our secure online questionnaire.

Pediatric liver transplant recipients at Mass General for Children can receive a new liver from either an approved deceased donor or an approved living donor.

Based on your child’s blood group and calculated PELD or MELD score, your child will receive priority for a liver from the deceased donor pool.

Living donor transplants involve a healthy individual donating a portion of their liver, which regenerates in both the donor and recipient. The healthy adult does not necessarily need to be related to the patient who receives the liver. At our pediatric transplant center, the transplant surgery for our pediatric recipients as well as the surgery for their adult living donor occurs under one roof.

Split liver transplants involve dividing a deceased donor liver into two parts, which can be transplanted into two recipients, potentially reducing waiting times.

Potential donors undergo a multi-phase evaluation including health screening, consultations with a living donor advocate, and final review to ensure their safety.

Yes, the Mass General Brigham Living Donor Liver Transplant Program guides potential liver donors through a thorough evaluation process. Living donation provides a quicker path to liver transplantation often with better outcomes.

At Mass General for Children, we are the only center in New England that can perform living donor liver transplants for the donor and pediatric recipient pairs at the same location. This eliminates the need for the organ to travel from one location to another. Additionally, families do not have to endure the emotional and financial stress of commuting between multiple physical locations to see their loved ones recovering from a major surgery and maximizes your time and energy with your loved one.

Liver size is one of several factors assessed during donor evaluation, and parents often successfully donate livers to their children.

Our immune system defends our body against bacteria, foreign viruses, and infectious agents.

Immunosuppressants, or antirejection medications, are drugs that weaken the body’s ability to attack a transplanted organ. These medications are started after transplantation, and it is vital they are taken as prescribed.

Most insurance plans cover the majority of transplant-related costs for the recipient. Our team helps families understand coverage details during the multidisciplinary evaluation. Our team will work with your family to obtain the necessary resources for your unique situation.

The Pediatric to Adult Transplant Health (PATH) ensures a seamless experience as children who received an organ transplant transition to adult transplant care, minimizing disruptions during this high-risk period.

Our multidisciplinary team continues to care for your child throughout this process and maintains open communication with the adult program at the Mass General Brigham Liver Transplant Program as needed after the transition.