Liver and pancreatic transplantation

Transplantation medicine is a complex, multi-faceted area, requiring the involvement of many specialist teams. The ultimate goal is to improve the length and quality of life in a patient with an irreversible terminal disease. Because resources are limited, the greatest challenges lie in prioritizing patients, exploring ways to enhance the donor pool and maximizing the outcome from available organs. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the perioperative aspects of liver and pancreatic transplantation in adults. A detailed account of the different surgical techniques, the various immunosuppression regimes and the ever-changing criteria for organ allocation are beyond the scope of this article and will therefore be mentioned only briefly.