There are multiple possible complications during and after a liver transplant. They include surgical and medical complications.

Surgical complications

Despite all precautions, the following complications are the most common and occur in 5 to 10% of children with transplants. The same figures are found at the other reference centers throughout the world.

• Any surgery can cause bleeding. A child who receives a new liver very often needs a blood transfusion.
• Other complications are directly related to liver transplant surgery:
  • Thromboses (clots) in vessels that have been sutured. Thrombosis of the portal vein or hepatic artery often requires a new operation. 
  • Leakage of bile, which is often treated by the insertion of a drain. 
  • Narrowing of the bile duct most often requires interventional radiologists to insert a bile duct drain. 

There are also other surgical complications, but these occur less frequently.

Medical complications

Medical complications can be classified into three categories:

• Infections (most often viral)
• Rejection
• Side effects of medications required after the transplant can affect other organs    

Votre enfant est surveillé de très près de manière à réagir rapidement en soignant les complications et en adaptant son traitement.

Enfin, très rarement, le décès peut malheureusement survenir suite à ces complications. C’est pourquoi une greffe de foie est proposée après une longue réflexion entre les parents et notre équipe.

Ensemble, les risques et les bénéfices de la greffe ont été soigneusement évalués.  Une greffe est proposée dans l’une des deux situations : 

• si le risque vital de l’enfant avec son propre foie est plus élevé que les risques liés à la transplantation
• si la qualité de vie ou le développement de l’enfant est fortement compromis.