Another first occurred at Schneider Children’s
this week when a sister donated a liver lobe to her critically ill younger brother. Nine years ago when
he was just a few months old, she had donated
bone marrow to him to counteract congenital immunodeficiency. However, he later developed liver disease one of whose consequences led to rare and severe damage to his lungs so that the level of oxygen in his blood was only 50%, instead of 95% as in a healthy child. About 6 months ago, his condition deteriorated to the point that he needed a liver transplant to save his life. The boy’s sister, aged 30, now married and a mother of two children, agreed to donate a liver lobe to her younger brother to save his life for the second time.

Since the child in effect carries her immune system, tolerance of the liver lobe graft in his body is without danger of organ rejection, and therefore, there is no need for anti-rejection drugs which are accompanied by many side-effects. This situation is hugely advantageous to the child and allows him a better quality of life. Transplantation of the liver lobe will improve the boy’s lung function considerably which is expected to gradually improve over the next few months. This is the first case of its kind in Israel where a child has received two donations - bone marrow and a liver lobe - from the same donor, and the second only recorded case in professional literature in the world.

There is a similar case that occurred in Israel a few months ago when a 17-year-old received a donation of bone marrow and a kidney from the same donor. The transplant was conducted on the Schneider-Beilinson campus.

Nine children and many more adults in Israel are currently waiting for liver transplants. Due to the serious shortage of cadaver organs and the life threatening situation of children requiring transplants, Schneider Children’s uses the technique of living-donor related transplants. During 2007, Schneider Children’s conducted 8 liver transplants, 4 of which were from live donors. Most of the liver transplants in children in Israel are conducted at Schneider Children’s.

The transplant surgery was conducted by Prof. Eytan Mor, Director of the Department of Transplantations, Dr. Ran Steinberg, Deputy Director of the Department of Surgery, Dr. Natan Bar-Natan, Director of the Transplantation Service and anesthetist, Dr. Mila Katchko. Pre- and post-surgical care is in the hands of Dr. Yaron Avitzur, specialist in gastroenterology and liver diseases at Schneider Children’s. The boy is in recovery in Pediatrics “C” headed by Prof. Yaacov Amir. The new liver has already begun to function and the child has been removed from a ventilator. It is anticipated that recovery will proceed as expected. His sister, the donor, was hospitalized in the adjacent adult hospital and discharged in good health.