About the Department of Liver Transplantation in Adults and Children at Memorial Sisli Hospital Istanbul
The Department of Liver Transplantation in Adults and Children at the Memorial Sisli Hospital Istanbul specializes in liver transplantation from living and deceased donors. The operations are performed in adults and children with incurable liver pathologies. The department is also responsible for the preparation and follow-up care of liver transplant patients. The highly qualified surgeons of the department successfully practice innovative surgical techniques for bloodless liver transplantation. Performing more than 260 liver transplant operations annually, the department ranks among the best highly specialized medical centers of this kind not only in Turkey, but throughout the world. It is noteworthy that the department enjoys the status of a Training Center – transplant surgeons from leading hospitals in the world, mainly from the United States, regularly undergo medical training here. The Chief Physician of the department is Prof. Dr. med. Koray Acarlı.
The liver transplant surgery is preceded by comprehensive diagnostics. The operation is an extreme measure, which surgeons resort to only in those clinical cases when other types of treatment are guaranteed to fail, and transplantation is the only way to save a person's life. In particular, liver transplantation is the only treatment option for patients with chronic liver failure. Liver cirrhosis is also one of the most common pathologies for which liver transplantation is required. Such operations are often performed for patients with congenital liver diseases and some types of liver tumors.
To undergo liver transplantation, the patient needs to receive a donor material – either from a living or a deceased donor. About 80% of liver transplantations are performed in the department using donor material from living people. A donor is selected very carefully. The doctors assess the general state of his health, liver condition and compatibility of the donor with the recipient. Psychological aspects are also taken into account. The primary condition for a successful outcome of liver transplantation is the compatibility of the donor's and recipient's blood groups. In some cases, the size of the donor organ is also taken into account. The department uses modern technologies and innovative drugs that minimize the risk of rejection of the transplanted organ.
An important stage in liver transplantation is postoperative recovery. The operation is followed by rehabilitation measures. The patient is also individually prescribed immunosuppressants to suppress the activity of the immune system and prevent rejection of the transplanted organ. The patient will have to take drugs from this group for life. In addition, in order to facilitate the process of engraftment of a new organ and maintain its function, the patient is advised to follow a diet. Smoked meats, fatty, fried and spicy foods must be excluded from the diet. The patient must also refuse from alcoholic beverages.
It is worth noting that the department's medical team is distinguished by exceptional professionalism and colossal experience in the field of liver transplantation, which allows for surgical treatment with minimal risks of complications and rejection of the transplanted organ. The success rates for liver transplantation in the department are very high and surpass the results of well-known hospitals with this specialization in Europe and the USA.
The indications for liver transplantation are:
- Chronic liver failure
- Severe liver damage in hepatitis, excluding hepatitis A
- Localized liver cancer
- Decompensated liver cirrhosis
- Congenital abnormalities of the liver and biliary tract
- Hemochromatosis
- Other liver diseases
The department specializes in the following types of liver transplantation:
- Split liver transplantation (liver transplantation from a deceased donor to several recipients simultaneously)
- Transplantation of a part of the liver from a living related donor
- Orthotopic liver transplantation (total organ transplantation from a deceased donor)
- Heterotopic liver transplantation (implantation of healthy tissues of the donor organ to the patient's liver)
- Other types of liver transplantation
Curriculum vitae
Professional Career
- SInce 2004 Head of the Department of Liver Transplantation in Adults and Children at the Memorial Sisli Hospital Istanbul, Istanbul, Turkey.
- 1999 - 2007 Work in the Department of General Surgery, Section of Liver and Biliary Tract Surgery, hospital at the Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey.
- 1995 Visiting Surgeon, Department of Surgery at the University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
- 1993 - 1999 Work in the Department of General Surgery, Section of Liver and Biliary Tract Surgery, hospital at the Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey.
- 1991 - 1992 Research Fellow, Department of Liver Transplantation, Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York, USA.
- 1988 - 1991 Work in the Department of General Surgery, Section of Liver and Biliary Tract Surgery, Istanbul University Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.
- 1987 - 1988 Intern in the Department of General Surgery, S.S.Y.B. Taksim Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.
- 1986 - 1987 Work at the Tosya State Hospital, Kastamonu, Turkey.
Higher Education and Postgraduate Training
- 2004 Professorship, Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey.
- 1993 - 2004 Associate Professorship, Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey.
- 1976 - 1981 Study of Medicine at the Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey.
Memberships in Professional Societies
- Turkish Society of Surgery.
- Turkish Society of Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery.
Photo of the doctor: (c) Memorial Şişli Hospital