Abdominal Transplant and Hepatopancreaticobiliary Surgery Division

Abdominal Transplant Program

Abdominal transplants involve the surgical replacement of one or more diseased abdominal organs with healthy organs from a deceased or living donor.

Living donor transplants

A living donor for kidney and liver transplantation is a healthy individual who voluntarily donates a kidney or a portion of their liver to a recipient in need of a transplant. A living kidney donor donates one of their two kidneys to a recipient whose kidneys have failed. A living liver donor donates a portion of their liver (typically the right lobe) to a recipient with liver failure.

Liver transplants

A liver may be donated by a deceased organ donor. Their healthy liver is used to replace a diseased liver in someone who is experiencing a health condition that severely impacts the liver. Conditions that can lead to needing a liver transplant include:

• Cirrhosis: This is a late stage of scarring (fibrosis) of the liver caused by many forms of liver diseases and conditions, such as:
• Chronic Hepatitis B or C: Viral infections that can cause long-term liver damage.
• Alcohol-related liver disease: Excessive alcohol consumption leading to liver damage.
• Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH): Conditions associated with obesity, diabetes, and high cholesterol.
• Autoimmune hepatitis: The body's immune system attacks the liver.
• Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC): Chronic diseases that damage the bile ducts in the liver.
• Genetic diseases: Such as hemochromatosis (iron overload) and Wilson's disease (copper overload).
• Biliary atresia: A rare disease in infants where the bile ducts are blocked or absent.
• Metabolic/genetic diseases: Conditions that affect how the liver processes substances, such as alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency.
• Liver tumors: Liver cancer, such as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), may require a transplant in certain cases.

Learn more about our Liver Transplant Program.

Kidney transplants

A kidney transplant is needed when your kidneys no longer function well enough to keep you alive and healthy. This usually happens because of chronic kidney disease, which damages the kidneys over time. The kidneys help filter your blood. When they are damaged, they can’t clean your blood properly, which can lead to a buildup of waste and fluid. If this occurs, a transplant can replace the damaged kidney with a healthy one from a donor, allowing you to live without dialysis.

Pancreas transplants

A pancreas transplant is most often needed for people with type 1 diabetes, particularly if their diabetes is difficult to control with insulin, or if they have severe complications from diabetes. The main job of the pancreas is to produce insulin, which helps your body use sugar (glucose) for energy. In type 1 diabetes, the pancreas stops producing insulin. A pancreas transplant replaces the nonfunctioning pancreas with a healthy one from a donor, allowing the body to produce insulin on its own again. Often, this transplant can be done at the same time as a kidney transplant. This can eliminate the need for insulin injections and help prevent further diabetes-related complications.

Abdominal and hepatobiliary specialists

When you are facing a health issue that affects your liver, 

Abdominal Transplant Team

Physician's Assistant

• Sarah Skeba, PA-C

Office coordinator

• Linda Hamilton

How to get care

Call 412-359-6738 to schedule an appointment with our Abdominal Transplant and Hepatopancreaticobiliary Surgery Division.

At your appointment, you should expect to meet with a specialist who will discuss treatment options, outcomes and expectations. This may include reviewing your prior imaging, lab results and pathology results. Your case may also be discussed at our multidisciplinary tumor board to confirm the treatment plan and provide the opportunity for the best possible approach. We will also address any questions you or your supporters (family, friends, etc.) may have regarding your upcoming treatment.

Clinical trials and research

Clinical trials offer eligible patients who volunteer to participate, new options for cancer treatment with novel uses of medications, radiation or surgical techniques with the goal to improve cancer treatment as a whole. You can discuss available active clinical trials with your doctor and determine your eligibility to participate. 

Currently active transplant clinical trials at AHN include:

• ARTxOnc: Liver transplant for unresectable colorectal liver metastasis.

What is a clinical trial?

Clinical trials are studies that try to answer questions about new ways to treat cancer with medications, radiation, or surgical techniques. Previous trials have shown how new methods of treatment improve survival and quality of life and reduce the risk of cancer returning.

You participate in a clinical trial only if you volunteer to do so and meet criteria for inclusion in the study, and you can stop participating in a trial at any time.

Who can join a clinical trial?

The plan for the trial, called a protocol, explains what the trial will do and how the study will be done. Based on the questions the research is trying to answer, each clinical trial protocol outlines specific criteria necessary to be eligible to join the trial.

Common criteria for entering a trial are:

• Having a certain type of medical issue or stage of cancer.
• Having received a certain kind of therapy in the past.
• Being in a certain age group.
• Federal rules help ensure that clinical trials are run in an ethical manner, with your rights and safety protected. It’s to ensure that you’re not put at increased risk by participating in the trial, and that the results of the study are accurate and meaningful.

Refer your patient to an AHN specialist

There are two ways for medical professionals, who are not a part of Allegheny Health Network, to refer their patients to an AHN specialist and request their first appointment. You can:

1. Call 412-359-6738, select Option 2.
2. Go to Find Care to find the right AHN specialist and the most convenient location. Then refer your patient, provide relevant patient details, and request an appointment directly from the doctor's profile.

For more information about referring your patient to an AHN specialist, read the Independent Physician Referral FAQs.