King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center (KFSHRC) recently introduced a new surgical technique in the field of liver transplantations, which is typically implemented in limited medical centers in the world.
The surgical method uses a telescope to remove part of the donor liver through small openings at the top of the abdominal area.
Dr. Qasim Al-Qasabi, executive general supervisor of the KFSHRC, said that the surgical teams were able to make seven similar operations using the same technique.
This surgical procedure is applied in a limited global medical centers due to the intricacy of this type of operation, which is highly dependent on the availability of highly qualified surgeons, Al-Qasabi told Al-Riyadh daily.
Dieter Broering, the director of the Organs Transplant Center at KFSHRC, said the center is increasingly witnessing quality leaps in performing transplant operations in recent years.
The center has carried out 263 transplants since the beginning of 2011 until the end of July, which exceeds half of the total number of operations the center conducted since the start of the program in 2001, he said.
Meanwhile, Dr. Mohamed Al-Sabiel, head of the Liver Transplant Unit at the Organs Transplant Center said this type of operation is concerned with the removal of a diseased liver and replacing it with a healthy liver from a donor.
He said 15 to 20 percent of the liver, roughly weighing 200 grams, is taken from a potential donor. The new procedure uses an endoscope which goes through four to five small holes under the chest area, each measuring about 12 mm. Previously an incision for this type of operation would be approximately 10 cm.
Al-Sabiel ensured the safety of a donor in case he (or she) is donating part of the liver and said the donor must be an adult. No deaths have ever been reported on donors since the inception of the program 12 years ago, he said.
Most liver transplant operations use livers from deceased donors, though living donors could donate parts of their liver.
KFSHRC applies new procedure for liver transplant surgeries
