Current status of liver transplantation in Europe

Abstract

Liver transplantation (LT) in Europe became an established life-saving treatment for patients with end-stage liver disease, hepatocellular carcinoma, and acute liver conditions with life-threatening hepatic dysfunction. Although there are substantial disparities in donation and transplant rates among European countries, LT can be offered to almost every European citizen today. In order to maximize the LT benefit beyond national levels, many countries cooperate within transnational organizations including Eurotransplant, Scandiatransplant, and Southern Alliance for Transplantation. In the majority of European countries, liver allocation is based on the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD). Similar to North America, the ongoing extinction of hepatitis C and increase of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis are also a hallmark of change in LT indications in Europe. Apart from Turkey, the organ pool for LT in European countries is mainly based on organs from donors after brain death, although some countries retrieve a substantial proportion of organs from donors after circulatory death. According to the 2018 report of the European Liver Transplant Registry, 146,762 LT have been performed in Europe until 2016. In the most recent period, LT in Europe achieved respectable 1- and 5-year overall survival rates of 86% and 74%.

Keywords: 2018 snapshot; Europe; Liver transplantation; Organ allocation.