Liver Transplant Cost in Turkey

The cost of liver transplant in Turkey starts from USD 45,000 (TRY 379,896). The liver transplant hospitals in Turkey offer unparalleled health services at low-cost packages.

Liver transplantation: An overview

Liver transplantation is a surgery to replace the damaged or diseased liver of the patient with a healthy liver from a living or deceased donor. A whole liver or just a part of it might be transplanted into the recipient. 

The liver is the largest organ inside the body and plays many vital roles for survival. The 

the liver performs several critical functions including:

• Metabolism of drugs and toxins, and removal of toxic by-products of certain medications
• Metabolism of nutrients from food and produce energy when needed
• Removal of products such as ammonia and bilirubin from the blood and others from normal body metabolism 
• Production of many proteins and enzymes, such as blood clotting factors 
• Stores energy source and certain vitamins and minerals.
• Production of bile, which is needed for digestion of fats and absorption of vitamins A, D, E, and K.
• Helps the body in fighting infection by removing bacteria from the blood.

Who might need a liver transplant?

Liver transplantation is recommended when the patient’s liver stops functioning properly, a condition known as liver failure. There can be many causes for liver failure, including acute and chronic diseases. 

An acute (sudden onset) liver disease due to an infection, complications from certain kinds of drugs such as acetaminophen overdose, consumption of a toxin such as poisonous mushrooms, or an uncommon drug reaction.

Chronic (long-term) liver conditions can also lead to liver failure. This is more common and can be caused by several conditions, such as:

• Chronic viral infections such as hepatitis
• Primary biliary cirrhosis: a rare immune system condition that is caused when the immune system starts to attack and destroy the bile ducts, resulting in liver failure
• Sclerosing cholangitis: a condition in which the bile ducts inside and outside the liver become scarred and narrowed. This leads to a backup of bile in the duct and liver, causing organ failure.
• Biliary atresia: It is a common reason for the need of a liver transplant in children. There is a malformation of the bile ducts in this immune system disorder. 
• Cirrhosis due to overconsumption of alcohol 
• Wilson’s disease: a rare inherited condition in which there is an abnormal accumulation of copper throughout the body, including the liver. 
• Hemochromatosis: a common hereditary disease in which there is an overload of iron, causing liver damage
• Amyloidosis: an accumulation of an abnormal protein called amyloid in the liver that disrupts the liver functions
• Liver cancer

The transplant team will evaluate the candidate on the basis of several factors when determining their need for a liver transplant and the urgency of their condition. These factors include patients:

• The severity of the liver condition
• Whether there are other medical conditions that need treatment 
• A prior history of diseases such as tuberculosis and chronic infections such as HIV
• Overall health status 
• The psychological health
• Support from family or friends during the process

Another parameter that the doctors will evaluate is to weigh the benefits of the procedure for extending a person’s life against the risks of the surgery in a particular case. The patient is usually given a MELD (Model for End-stage Liver Disease) score, a highly predictive system for the risk of death due to chronic liver disease.

A patient may not be a suitable candidate for transplant if they also suffer from other chronic conditions that may reduce the chances of transplant success. This may include 

• Cancer that has spread to other body parts
• A severe heart problem 
• Systemic or unmanageable infection
• Active substance or alcohol able 
• A compromising psychiatric condition
• Cirrhosis due to alcoholism. In the case of alcohol or drug abuse, the patient’s history and ability to quit drinking will be evaluated by the transplant committee.

Types of organ donors for a liver transplant

Deceased donor 

The donor can be a person who is brain-dead or had a cardiac death. Brain death usually occurs due to a large stroke, massive head trauma from a blunt injury, for instance, from a motor vehicle or a road accident, or a penetrating injury, such as a gunshot wound. The trauma will cause all the brain functions to stop (making them brain dead) but their other organs including the liver may continue to function normally.

In some cases, the patient’s brain function has not completely stopped, and they can’t be considered for brain-death organ donation. In these circumstances, the family may decide to withdraw life-support as there is no hope for revival and the intention is to allow the patient to die. It is considered cardiac death and organ donation will be an option, but only if the family gives consent. 

For a deceased donor liver transplantation, the patient has to be on a transplant waiting list, and they will be contacted as soon as a suitable donor liver is available for them. Those with a high MELD/PELD score (calculated by simple blood tests for creatinine, bilirubin, and INR) are assigned organs first.

Living donor liver transplantation in Turkey

Liver has a unique ability to regenerate itself and form a completely new organ. This property of the liver allows a living person to donate a part of his/her healthy liver to the patient. The removed liver segment and the remaining part will grow over time to develop a fully functional organ.

A living donor liver transplantation allows the recipient to have a timely treatment and avoid some possible complications that might occur while waiting for a deceased donor transplant. Studies have also indicated a longer survival rate for the living donor organ than the deceased donor. 

For a living-donor liver transplant, both the donor and recipient undergo a series of medical, including blood type and body size, and psychological tests to determine the eligibility of the donor candidate.