Liver
Pictured above is a diseased polycystic liver (9kg!) that was removed from a woman and replaced with a healthy donor liver. (Note that this liver is not from a living donor). The liver is an interesting organ to donate because of its natural ability to regenerate. There are many different approaches where the diseased liver may be removed entirely and replaced with a small portion of the donor’s liver, or only parts of the diseased liver may be removed and replaced. The prognosis for a living donor transplant is equally as good as replacing the entire organ and is being favored because of the short wait times.Nonetheless the biggest hurdle for this may be the recovery of the donor. Although all precautions are taken, the procedure may leave their liver severely damaged, or perhaps even harm its ability to regenerate.
