Live liver donor

Is there any information on the long term effects on the donor for a living donor liver transplant?  Our daughter-in-law will be the donor for our son's liver transplant.

[Thomas D Schiano, MD]

i agree with the above.  you might want to also access the publications that have come out of the A2ALL study group on Pubmed.  this is a consortium of 9 US transplant centers that have been following both donors and recipients for the last 7 years (over 400 total)

[gilmane]

Hi5, As a recipient of a liver donor liver transplant I have followed this issue for the last 10 years. I have not seen any large scale follow-up studies of the effects on the donor. Maybe the doctor knows of some. I have found a few articles and single transplant center discussions on the subject and have listed the references below:
"What Is The Quality-of-Life After Live Liver Donation?"
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/fulltext/118820618/HTMLSTART
"Live Organ Donation: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back: Increasing the Organ Supply With Live Donors"
http://cme.medscape.com/viewarticle/445640_2 (You need to register and sign in for Medscape ,it is free.)
They seem to list three main issues:
Depression a Predictable Consequence
Preparing Donors for Financial Hardship
"Lack of Clarity" Obscures Ethical Considerations
Echoing a concern expressed by several others the author decried the lack of a national registry to monitor the health of living donors as "a scandal." Risk is a part of all surgeries required to donate an organ, and the transplant community must do a better job of "stewarding the donor" as he or she resumes life after the surgery. "The field is very perilous" the author noted. Therefore, candid discussions and disclosure policies about potential risks and benefits of live donations are essential to protect the interests of the donor and the recipient.
I would have much rather have received a cadavaric liver, but as we all know there are not enough to go around and sometimes the transplant team will suggest live donation if time is of the essence. Receiving a living donation requires someone you know and love to undergo major surgery  that for them is unnecessary. There is a lengthy recovery time of 6 to 8 weeks or even longer in a few cases before they can go back to heavy work.
There are statistics that show how low risk the donor is, but as a recipient you worry that something could go wrong. I my case it worked wonderfully well and both I and my donor are totally fine. I will never be able to totally repay him for such a loving gift.
Best wishes whichever way you finally go.