LIVER TRANSPLANT
Liver specialists and surgeons used an innovative
strategy to save two lives with one liver in a rare
domino liver transplant. During the unique
procedure, a donated liver was transplanted
into a recipient who had familial amyloidosis,
a condition where an otherwise healthy liver
produces a protein — amyloid — that builds up
and significantly damages specific organs over the
patient’s lifetime. Despite the amyloid condition,
that patient’s liver was still healthy, so it was
transplanted into a 62-year-old female patient
who was in desperate need of a new liver.
“The amyloid liver still functions just fine,
and the organ recipient should not expect to
experience any amyloid-related symptoms
for many years, if at all,” said James Trotter,
MD, medical director of liver transplantation.
“Even though the procedure is extremely rare,
it addresses the shortage of available livers and
provides a solution for very specific cases.”
Because of its reputation for outstanding liver
transplant care, Baylor Dallas was selected as the
host site for the 2017 International Living Donor
Liver Study Group, the premier organization
10
in the world for education on living donor liver
transplantation. “We continue to be one of the
most active living donor liver transplant programs
in the country,” said Giuliano Testa, MD, surgical
director of abdominal transplant. “We also
participated in major research studies focused on
the topic. One unique study — the Living Donor
Enhancement Program — evaluated the living
donor experience prior to transplant surgery.”
In 2016, Baylor maintained its position as one
of the largest transplant hepatology teams in the
nation. As a result, the liver transplant program
expanded its outreach efforts across Texas by
increasing the number of days liver specialists can
travel to care for liver disease patients in outlying
communities. Baylor liver disease specialists
see patients at nine outreach clinics, including
Amarillo, Lubbock, Odessa, Longview, Austin,
Plano, McKinney, Grand Prairie and Waxahachie,
where they assess, evaluate and develop treatment
plans for liver disease patients. Clinic volumes grew
as more patients with liver disease discovered they can
manage the disease much closer to home.