Why is it possible to perform a liver transplant using just a small part of a donor’s liver, but for other organs (kidney, heart, etc) the donor would have to donate the whole organ?

538 views

Why is it possible to perform a liver transplant using just a small part of a donor’s liver, but for other organs (kidney, heart, etc) the donor would have to donate the whole organ?

In: 539

16 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

The liver is made of connective tissue and while the shape of the left and right is a little different, it largely does the same thing. Skin is also an organ made of connective tissue and can also be partially transplanted.

Other organs have a shape that is essential to their function. The heart pumps blood from atrium to ventricle in a series, if you tried to take half of it, it wouldn’t work. It has specialized parts that work together and can’t function without them.

You are viewing 1 out of 16 answers, click here to view all answers.