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Medical Care in China

Liver transplantation
Treatment in China

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Multi-organ transplantationcovers liver, kidney, lung, heart, and combined transplants.

Complex case assessmentprovides a comprehensive evaluation for end-stage and complex organ diseases.

Pediatric transplant supportcovers some complex cases such as pediatric living donor liver transplantation.

Postoperative long-term managementfocuses on rejection, infection, and transplant organ function.

Condition Guide

About Liver transplantation

Understand the condition, common triggers and treatment options that may require specialist assessment.

Disease Introduction

Introduction : Liver transplantation is the only radical surgical procedure for end-stage liver disease. It is divided into whole liver transplantation, split liver transplantation, living donor liver transplantation, and domino liver transplantation. An allogeneic liver is implanted into the recipient's abdominal cavity to replace the irreversibly damaged diseased liver and restore the liver's synthetic, metabolic, detoxification, and bile secretion functions. It is suitable for acute and chronic liver failure, decompensated cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma that meets the criteria, and congenital metabolic liver diseases that cannot be reversed by medical or interventional treatments. Only top transplant centers in China can perform complex cases.
Core symptoms : progressively increasing jaundice, refractory ascites, spontaneous bacterial peritonitis; severe coagulation dysfunction, prone to spontaneous bleeding; hepatic encephalopathy, manifested as altered consciousness and abnormal behavior; portal hypertension leading to massive bleeding from ruptured esophageal and gastric varices; may be complicated by hepatorenal syndrome, hepatopulmonary syndrome, and severe malnutrition; acute liver failure can lead to sequential failure of multiple organs in a short period of time.
Pathological mechanism : (1) Primary liver disease continuously causes extensive necrosis of hepatocytes, fibrosis of liver parenchyma, formation of pseudolobules, destruction of normal lobular structure of liver, and irreversible depletion of hepatocyte reserve function; liver detoxification, protein synthesis and bilirubin metabolism pathway failure, toxin accumulation induces secondary damage to multiple organs throughout the body, forming a liver-derived multi-organ interactive damage loop. (2) Transplantation-related pathology: Traditional cold preservation methods can cause ischemia-reperfusion injury to the donor liver, which can induce primary graft failure; the recipient's immune system recognizes the donor liver HLA antigen, resulting in acute cellular rejection and antibody-mediated rejection; long-term chronic rejection, ischemic biliary tract disease, and recurrence of the primary disease are the main causes of long-term graft failure; living donor/split liver transplantation also carries the pathological risk of small liver syndrome.

Cutting-edge high-precision diagnostic and treatment technologies

Ischemic-free liver transplantation: Continuous physiological perfusion outside the body maintains uninterrupted blood flow to the donor liver, avoids cold ischemia-reperfusion injury, and reduces the incidence of primary graft nonfunction and ischemic biliary tract disease.
Split liver transplantation (one liver for two recipients): Three-dimensional imaging accurately assesses liver volume and vascular biliary tract, and a single donor liver is divided into two independent functional grafts to expand the donor liver pool.
Precise liver segment harvesting technique for living donor liver transplantation: Three-dimensional reconstruction assessment of donor and recipient vascular and biliary anatomy, precise quantification of graft volume, and prevention of donor complications and recipient small liver syndrome.
DCD marginal donor liver extracorporeal mechanical perfusion repair technology: ambient temperature/low temperature extracorporeal perfusion to repair marginal donor liver damage and expand the source of donor livers.
Domino liver transplantation: The diseased liver removed from a recipient with metabolic liver disease is then transplanted to another recipient with end-stage liver disease, maximizing organ utilization.
Intraoperative multimodal monitoring system: Intraoperative ultrasound, hemodynamics, coagulation function, and perfusion real-time monitoring to dynamically assess graft perfusion.
Artificial liver bridging transplantation technology: Extracorporeal liver function replacement to maintain the internal environment of critically ill patients with acute liver failure, while waiting for a donor liver and transitioning to transplantation surgery.

Care Overview

Liver transplantation Treatment in China

The medical team will develop a personalized protocol based on the pathology type, stage, genetic test, previous treatment history, and the patient's physical condition.

1. Strict recipient indication and tumor criteria screening : Multidisciplinary team (MDT) comprehensive assessment and preoperative conditioning → donor liver quality assessment, typing and volume matching → individualized planning of surgical approach and vascular biliary reconstruction → intraoperative volume, coagulation, and hemodynamic management → stratified monitoring of postoperative rejection, vascular biliary complications, and primary disease recurrence → lifelong follow-up.
2. Core principles: End-stage liver disease causes irreversible hepatocellular damage. Transplantation replaces the diseased liver, eliminating the vicious cycle of systemic toxin accumulation and portal hypertension induced by liver failure in one go; balancing the three major risks of rejection, infection, and vascular biliary complications throughout the process, while preventing tumor recurrence.
3. Treatment plan : (1) Preoperative MDT integrated assessment and pre-conditioning plan: joint assessment by transplant surgery, hepatology, critical care, anesthesia, imaging, infection and nutrition, screening for portal vein thrombosis, cardiopulmonary and renal complications, and occult infection; preoperative optimization of ascites, hepatic encephalopathy and nutritional status, and exclusion of transplant contraindications such as tumor exceeding the standard and active infection.
(2) Donor liver quality control and in vitro repair plan: The quality of donor liver is comprehensively assessed by imaging, biopsy and functional indicators; marginal donor livers are repaired by in vitro mechanical perfusion and qualified grafts are selected.
(3) Individualized transplantation surgery reconstruction plan: Based on the recipient's body type, portal vein lesion, and donor liver type, select whole liver/split liver/living donor transplantation; accurately reconstruct the hepatic artery, portal vein, hepatic vein and bile duct to reduce anastomotic stenosis, bile leakage and vascular thrombosis.
(4) Bridging support program for critically ill recipients: For recipients with acute liver failure and critical cirrhosis, artificial liver support is used to maintain internal environment stability and strive for the transplantation window period.
(5) Perioperative complication dynamic monitoring program: bedside ultrasound, liver function, pathogen detection, pathological puncture, and biliary imaging combined screening to identify rejection, hepatic artery thrombosis, and biliary complications in the early stage.
(6) Postoperative full-cycle follow-up and recurrence prevention and control plan: long-term monitoring of liver function, imaging and tumor markers, endoscopic intervention of biliary tract lesions in the long term, early intervention of primary disease recurrence, and supporting nutrition and rehabilitation management.

1. Advantages of radical organ replacement: It is the only surgical method that can reverse end-stage liver failure and relieve portal hypertension and toxin accumulation; artificial liver is only a temporary support and cannot repair damaged liver parenchyma.
2. Advantages of blocking chain damage: The liver's synthetic detoxification function is reconstructed after transplantation, and secondary multi-organ damage such as liver-kidney and hepatopulmonary syndrome is stopped.
3. Advantages of donor expansion: Techniques such as splitting, living donor, ischemia-free perfusion, and DCD repair can expand the source of liver donors and alleviate organ shortages.
4. Advantages in perioperative complication management: MDT full-chain management and cutting-edge technologies such as ischemia-free treatment significantly reduce reperfusion injury and biliary complications. The long-term survival rate of top domestic centers has reached the international advanced level.
5. Improved quality of life: Most recipients experienced relief from ascites, jaundice, and hepatic encephalopathy, were able to wean off artificial liver support, and resumed normal life and social activities.

Network of partner hospitals

Recommended Hospitals

Selected leading medical centers with strong specialties and international patient services.

Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences

Beijing · Partner Hospital

Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences

RehabilitationOrgan TransplantRare & Complex DiseasesOncologyGastroenterologyNeurologyUrologyInternal MedicineSurgeryHepatobiliaryOrthopedicsObstetrics & GynecologyENTCosmetic Surgery

In the ranking of Chinese hospitals released by the Fudan University Hospital Management Institute, Peking Union Medical College Hospital has topped the comprehensive ranking for more than ten consecutive years, and has twice ranked first in the national performance evaluation of tertiary public hospitals. Among the 42 specialties covered in the comprehensive specialty ranking, 28 of Peking Union Medical College Hospital's specialties are ranked in the top 10. Nine specialties, including pathology, rheumatology, obstetrics and gynecology, general surgery, neurology, nuclear medicine, emergency medicine, critical care medicine, and allergy, rank first in the country; several specialties, including radiology, anesthesiology, endocrinology, laboratory medicine, ultrasound medicine, and gastroenterology, rank second in the country. The hospital is a national center for the diagnosis and treatment of complex, critical, and rare diseases designated by the National Health Commission, a national demonstration base for higher medical education and standardized residency training, and a national core base for clinical medical research and technological innovation.

Year Founded: 1921
Beds: 3000

Fuwai Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences

Beijing · Partner Hospital

Fuwai Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences

Organ TransplantCardio-Cerebrovascular

The hospital is home to the National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases and is a national-level tertiary-grade Class A cardiovascular disease specialist hospital. It has consistently ranked first in the nation for cardiovascular disease in the Fudan University specialist rankings for many years. The hospital houses national-level platforms such as the National Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Diseases and the National Clinical Research Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, and was among the first batch of national medical centers to receive national support. In 2011, it performed over 10,000 internal and surgical procedures, becoming the world's largest heart disease treatment center. For 13 consecutive years, the 30-day mortality rate for cardiac surgery has remained below 1%, maintaining an internationally leading level.

Year Founded: 1956
Beds: 1300

Beijing Friendship Hospital (Second Clinical Medical College), Capital Medical University

Beijing · Partner Hospital

Beijing Friendship Hospital (Second Clinical Medical College), Capital Medical University

RehabilitationOrgan TransplantGastroenterologyInternal MedicineSurgery

The hospital is the supporting unit of the National Clinical Research Center for Digestive Diseases and the National Key Laboratory of Digestive Health, and a pilot unit of the National Flagship Hospital for Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine. It has 12 national key clinical specialties, 27 doctoral programs, and 33 master's programs. It is ranked A+ in the national performance evaluation of tertiary public hospitals and is one of the earliest hospitals in the country to undertake the tasks of healthcare for cadres and medical treatment for foreign guests. In 2018, it became one of the first batch of pilot units in the country to establish a modern hospital management system.

Year Founded: 1952
Beds: 3306

Beijing · Partner Hospital

China-Japan Friendship Hospital

RehabilitationOrgan TransplantRare & Complex DiseasesInternal Medicine

China-Japan Friendship Hospital is a national center for respiratory medicine, a national center for integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine, a national center for telemedicine and internet medicine, a national clinical research center for respiratory diseases, a national telemedicine and training center, and the supporting unit of the World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre for Smoking Cessation and Prevention of Respiratory Diseases. The hospital is a national pilot hospital for high-quality development and a national pilot hospital for clinical research. It boasts 2 National Masters of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 3 National Renowned Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners, 5 Qihuang Scholars, and 9 Capital National Masters of Traditional Chinese Medicine. In the fields of intractable diseases, critical illnesses, and rare diseases, it ranks 5th nationwide according to the Fudan University rankings.

Year Founded: 1984
Beds: 400

Huashan Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University

Shanghai · Partner Hospital

Huashan Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University

RehabilitationOrgan TransplantRare & Complex DiseasesNeurologyInternal MedicineOrthopedicsDermatology

The hospital is responsible for the construction of three national-level medical centers: the National Medical Center for Neurological Diseases, the National Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, and the National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Diseases. It is also the National Quality Control Center for Skin and Sexually Transmitted Diseases (under construction). It boasts 20 national key clinical specialties designated by the Ministry of Health, 10 national key disciplines designated by the Ministry of Education, and 2 national key laboratories. Its national examination scores of A++ rank it among the top tier nationwide, making it one of the most renowned and internationally-oriented medical, educational, and research centers in China.

Year Founded: 1907
Beds: 3142

Renji Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine

Shanghai · Partner Hospital

Renji Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine

Organ TransplantGastroenterologyUrologyInternal MedicineObstetrics & Gynecology

Renji Hospital boasts 13 national key clinical specialties (Gastroenterology, Obstetrics, Cardiology, Neurosurgery, General Surgery, Urology, Nephrology, Imaging Medicine, Rheumatology, Allergy, Transplantation, and Critical Care Medicine), and houses the National Key Laboratory of Oncology, the Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology of the Ministry of Education, and the Key Laboratory of Gastroenterology of the National Health Commission. The hospital ranks among the top in China for several specialties in the Fudan University Hospital Rankings, with its gastroenterology program consistently ranking first in the country for many years. It is also a co-construction unit of the National Regional Medical Center for Digestive Diseases.

Year Founded: 1844
Beds: 2750

Leading Specialists

Trusted Expertise Across Leading Specialties

Lü Fanzhen

Chief Physician, Key Member of Lung Transplant Surgery Team

Organ Transplant

-Research areas : Lung transplant surgery, thoracoscopic lung transplantation; - Areas of expertise: Single/double lung transplantation surgery, perioperative critical care management after lung transplantation; - Diseases specializing in: end-stage bronchiectasis, pneumoconiosis, and late-stage lung damage from paraquat poisoning; - Academic Highlights & Core Values: Undertakes a large amount of clinical work in lung transplantation, deeply involved in optimizing the clinical process of ECMO-bridging lun

Affiliated Hospital Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital (Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital Affiliated to Tongji University)

Yang Jiayin

Chief Physician, Doctoral Supervisor, Director of Liver Transplantation Center, Director of General Surgery, Director of Organ Transplantation Center, Director of the National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Transplantation Engineering and Transplantation Immunology

Organ Transplant

-Research areas : Adult DCD liver transplantation, liver transplantation in elderly recipients, multi-organ transplantation, transplant immunology, optimization of perioperative procedures for liver transplantation; safety studies of living donor liver transplantation; quality assessment and preservation of DCD donor livers. - Cutting-edge technologies: ABO incompatible liver transplantation, liver-kidney combined transplantation, transplantation programs for elderly critically ill recipients; pioneering

Affiliated Hospital West China Hospital of Sichuan University

Yan Linan

Director of the Liver Transplant Center & Department of Liver Surgery, Professor, Doctoral Supervisor, Founder of the Discipline, First-Class Expert, Leading Figure in the Field of Liver Transplantation in my country

Organ Transplant

-Research areas : Basic and clinical aspects of liver transplantation, and the development of living donor liver transplantation technology systems. - Cutting-edge technology: A pioneer in adult living donor liver transplantation in mainland China, leading the implementation of more than 1,200 clinical liver transplants and achieving eight leading firsts in liver transplantation technology nationwide; he began performing pediatric living donor liver transplantation in 2001 and performed the first adult li

Affiliated Hospital West China Hospital of Sichuan University

Xia Lei

Chief Physician, Doctoral Supervisor, Deputy Director of Liver Surgery

Organ Transplant

-Research areas : Adult liver transplantation, complex hepatobiliary surgery, combined liver and kidney transplantation; - Areas of expertise: Dual-donor liver transplantation, combined liver and kidney transplantation, and complex hepatobiliary tumor surgery; - Areas of expertise: End-stage cirrhosis, cirrhosis complicated with renal failure, and complex hepatobiliary malignancies; - Academic Highlights & Core Values: Responsible for the clinical system of multi-organ transplantation, handling complex ad

Affiliated Hospital Renji Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine

Wan Ping

Associate Chief Physician, Liver Surgery Expert at Renji Hospital.

Organ Transplant

Research Areas : Pediatric liver transplantation, Kasai procedure for biliary atresia, and complex liver tumor resection, among other pediatric liver surgeries. Cutting-Edge Techniques: Proficient in the surgical treatment of pediatric liver diseases such as biliary atresia, inherited metabolic diseases, cholestasis, and hepatoblastoma, having treated over 1700 cases of various pediatric liver diseases and rare diseases; as a core member of the team, systematically conducting liver transplantation surgery

Affiliated Hospital Renji Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine

Zhan Qingyuan

Chief Physician, Professor, Head of Respiratory Critical Care and ECMO

Organ Transplant

Research areas : perioperative extracorporeal life support during transplantation, ARDS, and post-transplant severe respiratory failure; Cutting-edge technologies: ECMO bridging lung transplantation and treatment of severe respiratory complications after transplantation; Areas of expertise: critical respiratory failure before lung transplantation and primary graft failure after transplantation; Academic highlights: Leading expert in domestic ECMO guidelines; Core value: Establishing standardized treatment

Affiliated Hospital China-Japan Friendship Hospital

Patient Stories

See the Next Step Through Patient Journeys

CASE 01

PATIENT JOURNEY

Restarting the "Life Purifier"—An Indonesian Youth's Kidney Miracle Patient records

Organ Transplant

Patient records Name: Adi Age: 28 Nationality: Indonesia Diagnosis: End-stage renal disease (IgA nephropathy) Treatment Hospital: Tongji Hospital Affiliated to Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology (Wuhan) Freed from the constraints of the dialysis machine, we found him a "matching" new life. Adi, a talented young photographer from Bandung, Indonesia, 28, had captured countless moving moments with his lens. Five years ago, however, he developed gross hematuria after a cold

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CASE 02

PATIENT JOURNEY

Breaking Free from the "Shackles of Breathing"—A Thai Elder's Heartfelt Words Continued in China

Organ Transplant

Patient records Name: Somchai Age: 65 Nationality: Thailand Diagnosis: End-stage idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) Treatment Hospital: China-Japan Friendship Hospital (National Center for Respiratory Medicine) When breathing becomes a luxury, we find him a "new leaf" of life. Somchai, a 65-year-old retired university professor from Chiang Mai, Thailand, was a gentle and refined man. However, at a time when he should have been enjoying his retirement, an "invisible shackle" choked him. He suffered from i

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Heart Transplant: A Transnational Relay of a

CASE 03

PATIENT JOURNEY

Heart Transplant: A Transnational Relay of a "Chinese Heart"—An UAE Patient Finds a Solution for End-Stage Heart Failure in China

Organ Transplant

Patient records Name: Ahmed (pseudonym) Age: 38 Nationality: Dubai, United Arab Emirates Diagnosis: Dilated cardiomyopathy, end-stage heart failure, post-cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT-D) Treatment Hospital: Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology Heart transplantation is the last hope for patients with end-stage heart failure. But when this "heart of hope" needs to be found across borders, patients face not only the complex rules of organ allocation,

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Pediatric Living Donor Liver Transplant: When

CASE 04

PATIENT JOURNEY

Pediatric Living Donor Liver Transplant: When "Not Living Past One Year Old" Becomes a Prophecy—A Mongolian Mother's Journey of "Saving Her Son by Donating Part of Her Liver"

Organ TransplantHepatobiliaryPediatrics

Patient records Name: Batbayar (pseudonym) Age: 11 months Nationality: Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia Diagnosis: Congenital biliary atresia, decompensated biliary cirrhosis after Kasai procedure. Treatment Hospital: Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University Pediatric living donor liver transplantation is the crown jewel of organ transplantation. It tests not only surgical skills but also a healthcare system's comprehensive capabilities in donor safety, postoperative management, and long-term follow-u

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Service Process

A clear, coordinated process for efficient cross-border care

01
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02
Remote Consultations
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04
Comprehensive Support in China
We accompany you to medical appointments and provide interpreting services, help arrange specialist consultations or surgery, assist with hospital admission and discharge, and help settle medical bills.
05
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We assist with notarisation of medical expense documents, airport drop-off, organisation and translation of medical records, remote rehabilitation guidance, and coordination of international referrals.

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and Cost Estimate.

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Liver transplantationTreatment in China

Liver transplantation Treatment in China

Recommended Hospitals

Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences

Fuwai Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences

Beijing Friendship Hospital (Second Clinical Medical College), Capital Medical University

China-Japan Friendship Hospital

Huashan Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University

Renji Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine

Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital (Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital Affiliated to Tongji University)

Southern Medical University Southern Hospital

West China Hospital of Sichuan University

Trusted Expertise Across Leading Specialties

See the Next Step Through Patient Journeys

Restarting the "Life Purifier"—An Indonesian Youth's Kidney Miracle Patient records

Breaking Free from the "Shackles of Breathing"—A Thai Elder's Heartfelt Words Continued in China

Heart Transplant: A Transnational Relay of a "Chinese Heart"—An UAE Patient Finds a Solution for End-Stage Heart Failure in China

Pediatric Living Donor Liver Transplant: When "Not Living Past One Year Old" Becomes a Prophecy—A Mongolian Mother's Journey of "Saving Her Son by Donating Part of Her Liver"

Living Donor Liver Transplantation: When Life Counts Down in Waiting—How a Russian Engineer Finds the Answer to "Living Donor Liver Transplantation" in China

A clear, coordinated process for efficient cross-border care

Pre-Visit Services

Remote Consultations

Travel Arrangements

Comprehensive Support in China

Post-Visit Services

Get a Care Planand Cost Estimate.

Get a Care Plan and Estimate

Liver transplantation
Treatment in China

Get a Care Plan
and Cost Estimate.