Is liver transplant effective for person with HBV affecting half of liver?
Patient: hi Dr.my brother who lives in Ghana has been diagnosed with HBV which seems to have affected his liver. Im told that more than half of the liver is affected according to the ultrasound images. In ghana they dont do transplants. so im trying to get him to India where they profess to have extensive expertise. But ghaians Drs says he may not benefit from the op Doctor: Hi, I had gone through your question and understand your concerns.Yes , in India liver transplants are not that uncommon . But mere affection with Hepatitis B virus does not need a liver transplant. Indications are 1. end -stage cirrhosis2. Chronic viral hepatitis3. primary hepatocellular malignanciesand othersWhat I think is that your brother is suffering from Chronic hepatitis due to Hepatitis B virus.Now, in patients with chronic hepatitis B, in the absence of measures to prevent recurrent hepatitis B( like putting him on antiviral drugs), survival after transplant is reduced to some extent , however prophylactic use of hepatitis B immune globulin during and after transplantation increases the survival to around 35-40%.Do not panic.I would suggest you to bring him to India. There are premium institutes like All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) which does liver transplants daily.Hope this answers your question. If you have additional questions or follow up questions then please do not hesitate in writing to us. I will be happy to answer your questions. Regards.