With advances in surgical technique and improved drugs to prevent infection and rejection, organ transplantation is now recognized as the most effective treatment for many diseases. UCSF is a leader in both adult and pediatric transplants for liver, kidney, and pancreas, attracting patients nationally and internationally. Children who previously had little hope of survival in the event of organ failure, now thrive as healthy adults with transplanted organs. Each tranplant candidate is carefully evaluated by a multidisciplinary team that includes transplant surgeons, gastroenterologists, nephrologists, hepatologists, infectious disease specialists, and social workers. Patients receive state-of-the-art care for highly complex procedures with intensive long-term followup.
Liver cancer patients in need of an organ transplant face a cruel catch-22 -- in the time spent waiting for a new liver from a deceased donor, their cancer can spread until it's too late. With two kids to raise and the clock ticking down, Amy Baghdadi got hopeful news and a life-changing offer from a family friend. Watch Baghdadi's story about her living liver transplant performed by UCSF's husband and wife surgical team -- Dr. Nancy Ascher and Dr. John Roberts.