शराब और नशीली दवाओं पर निर्भरता का जर्नल
खुला एक्सेस

अमूर्त

Liver Transplantation for Alcoholic Liver Disease

Gabriele Vassallo, Antonio Mirijello, Mariangela Antonelli, Anna Ferrulli and Giovanni Addolorato

Alcohol is one of the main causes of liver disease in the Western world. Total alcohol abstinence represents the cornerstone of the management of alcoholic liver disease. When total alcohol abstinence does not result in a significant improvement of liver function, liver transplantation represents the gold standard treatment for alcoholic hepatitis and end-stage alcohol-related cirrhosis. Liver transplantation for patients with alcoholic liver disease still represents matter of debate, principally due to concerns about the risk of post-transplantation recidivism and its effect on the outcome. These issues, coupled with a perception that these patients are likely to have contraindications to transplantation (e.g. extra hepatic alcohol-related disease or lack of self-care) have contributed to a reluctance of many centers to offer liver transplantation to patients affected by alcoholic liver disease. The aim of the present review is to discuss the controversies of liver transplantation for alcoholic liver disease.