Liver Transplantation for Alcoholic Hepatitis: Light at the End of Tunnel

Abstract

Alcoholic cirrhosis is the currently the 3rd most common cause for liver transplantation after hepatitis C or non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases and accounts for about 25% of all transplants in the US including HCV positive drinkers [1]. Until early 1990s alcoholic liver disease used to be considered as a contraindication for liver transplantation. This changed with report of NIH consensus workshop on cases selection of patient with alcoholic cirrhosis [2]. One of the criteria proposed in this consensus workshop was need for minimum six months of abstinence before considering liver transplantation in a patient with alcoholic cirrhosis. Rationale for six months of abstinence requirement was to allow for the liver function recovery with abstinence from the acute hepatocellular effect of alcohol intake [2]. Several studies since then have reported in select patients with alcoholic cirrhosis with outcomes to be as good as any other indication except for hepatitis C [1,3].