Liver transplantation for end-stage alcoholic liver disease: An assessment of outcomes

T oday, there are nearly 12,000 patients per year dying of end-stage alcoholic liver disease (ALD); with only 4,000 hepatic donor organs available per year, it is clear that all patients with ALD cannot be saved by liver transplantation. Furthermore, many questions remain regarding the impact of pretransplantation abstinence on recidivism, long-term compliance, long-term quality of life, ability to return to work, cost, and the overall social worth of performing liver transplantation for alcoholic patients.