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For adults, liver donation typically involves removing the right side of the liver, which constitutes about 60% of its total volume.
The liver regenerates to near-full size within six to eight weeks.
In India, thousands of people wait anxiously for life-saving organ transplants. While kidney and liver transplants can be performed with living donors, the shortage of organs from deceased donors means that living donors often become the only hope for many patients. Hundreds of such procedures are carried out each year, yet liver donation still suffers from deep-rooted myths and fears.
According to Dr. Rajiv Lochan J, Lead Consultant – HPB, Liver Transplantation & Robotic Surgery, Manipal Hospital Old Airport Road, Bangalore, “More than one in five potential donors who come forward for a loved one decide not to go ahead after their first counseling session.” He explains that a liver donor ideally follows a thorough six-step evaluation process, beginning with an information booklet, an educational video, and a 25–30-minute discussion to ensure donors fully understand the surgery.
Myth 1: You lose your liver forever.
The liver is unique as it’s the only solid organ in the human body capable of regeneration. Structurally divided into multiple segments, it allows surgeons to remove about 60% for an adult recipient or around 40% for a child. The remaining liver grows back to near-full size within six to eight weeks, most of it in just the first two weeks. The transplanted portion also grows to suit the recipient’s needs.
Myth 2: Donating will affect your health for life.
Global research and long-term follow-ups show that healthy donors live as long and as well as those who have never donated. Donors typically return to work, exercise, travel, and, for women, have healthy pregnancies. The only lasting reminder is a surgical scar – smaller with laparoscopic or robotic techniques, slightly larger with open surgery.
Myth 3: The surgery is too dangerous.
While live liver donation is a major operation and carries risks like any surgery, advances in surgical techniques, anaesthesia, and post-operative care have made it much safer. “Donor’s safety comes first. If there’s even a small concern about a donor’s health, the surgery doesn’t go ahead,” says Dr. Lochan.
In India, the Human Organ Transplant Act allows only close relatives – by blood or marriage – to donate. With liver disease rising due to fatty liver, hepatitis, alcohol-related, and metabolic conditions, living donors are helping bridge the gap.
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- Location :
Delhi, India, India
