The International Living Donor Liver Transplant Registry – LDLTregistry.org
Liver transplantation has become a highly effective treatment for severe liver disease and liver cancer. It can completely transform a person's life. The operation involves replacing a damaged liver with a healthy liver from a donor. Usually, the donor is someone who has passed away (deceased). However, in the early 1990s, doctors started using living donors because there weren't enough organs available from deceased donors. Some countries still rely heavily on living donors for liver transplants, but Western countries have been more hesitant because there aren’t enough data on the outcomes for both the donor and the recipient.
To address this, the International Living Donor Liver Transplant Registry – LDLTregistry.org was created. Its purpose is to collect information and closely monitor the outcomes (e.g. complications) of living liver donations. Doctors from around the world can enter anonymous data about their patients who undergo living donor liver transplants. This standardized information will be stored in a secured central database, starting from September 1, 2023. Having this global collection of data help the sharing of research, innovation, and improvements in care for both donors and recipients.
The central registry will help us achieve the following:
• Gain a better understanding of severe liver disease and its various causes.
• Learn about different treatment options and their outcomes.
• Find factors that can influence patient outcomes.
• Assess and improve the quality of care provided to donors and recipients.
In summary, the International Living Donor Liver Transplant Registry - LDLTregistry.org aims to gather information from around the world to improve our understanding of liver disease, enhance treatment options, and ensure the safety and well-being of living liver donors and transplant recipients.
