Evaluation of the Pediatric Patient for Liver Transplantation: 2014 Practice Guideline by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, American Society of Transplantation and the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition

Abstract

Current American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) liver transplant evaluation guidelines include both adult and pediatric patients. 1 While pediatric liver transplants account for 7.8% of all liver transplants in the United States, sufficient differences between pediatric and adult patients seeking liver transplantation (LT) now require independent, yet complementary documents. This document will focus on pediatric issues at each level of the evaluation process. Disease categories suitable for referral to a pediatric LT program are similar to adults: acute liver failure, autoimmune, cholestasis, metabolic or genetic, oncologic, vascular, and infectious. However, specific etiologies and outcomes differ widely from adult patients, justifying independent pediatric guidelines. Data supporting our recommendations are based on a Medline search of the English language literature from 1997 to the present.