Liver Transplant
Many PSC patients experience improved quality of life and greater well-being after a liver transplant.
Will I need a liver transplant?
At the start of everyone’s PSC journey, it is common to wonder whether a liver transplant will be needed. Some people have PSC for decades and never need a transplant. For many, a transplant is their only option if they are experiencing liver failure.
Fortunately, transplant centres in Canada are well-experienced in liver transplantation. The rise of living donor transplants has also improved outcomes by adding to the limited amount of liver transplants available from deceased donors.
Once you are added to the liver transplant list, many resources are available to help support and guide patients.
Getting on the liver transplant list
The process for getting on the liver transplant waitlist varies by health center and a PSC patient’s health. The first step will be a referral from your PSC specialist to a transplant center for evaluation. Typically, a transplant center will then conduct a full evaluation to determine if you are a good candidate for a liver transplant.
An evaluation can include an assessment of your overall health and liver function based in part on your MELD-na score which measures disease severity. For children <12 years of age the PELD is used. Your emotional preparedness and support system will also be evaluated. (MELD-na is acronym for Model for End-Stage Liver Disease with sodium, PELD is acronym for Pediatric Model for End-Stage Liver Disease)
Find out more about what’s involved in being considered for a liver transplant.
Living donor versus deceased donor transplants
Once you are added to the liver transplant list, there will be regular appointments to monitor your health and evaluate your MELD score. Livers from deceased donors are allocated based on medical need, not the length of wait time.
Waiting for a transplant can be a difficult and emotional time. Your transplant center can offer resources to help you deal with this stress.
Due to long wait times for a deceased liver transplant, many patients seek living donors. The donor might be a family member or close friend. A public appeal for an altruistic non-related donor may also be possible. Donors are matched with PSC patients based on compatible liver size and blood type. A part of the donor’s liver is removed and transplanted into the patient. The liver can regenerate to 90% of its original size within a few months.
Find out more about living donor donation.
Life after a liver transplant
Liver transplant surgery is complicated. Transplant teams across Canada are dedicated to helping patients through every stage of a transplant.
Recovery time can vary from person to person depending on your health before the surgery and whether there were any complications. For most people, their quality of life resumes to nearly normal and previous symptoms, such as itching and jaundice, can disappear quickly. Many people with PSC find that a transplant offers a new lease on life.
A person who has had a liver transplant will be monitored by a post-transplant team once they have been discharged from the hospital. Medical monitoring will continue indefinitely to check on the health of the new liver and to ensure there is no recurrent PSC.
Find out more about life after transplant.
Connect with others living with PSC
Share your experiences of having a liver transplant
- Participate in PSC Partners’ Facebook groups – open and closed.
- Contribute a patient story based on your perspective of living with PSC
- Volunteer with PSC Partners Canada
- Join the PSC Partners Patient Registry if you haven’t already
Key facts about PSC
- Canada has 8 liver transplant centers (2024)
- There were more than 600 liver transplants performed in Canada in 2023
- In 2018, living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) comprised 0.5% of liver transplants in the United Kingdom, 5% in the United States, and 13.6% in Canada. In 2022 at the highest volume transplant center in Canada, LTLT comprised 24% of liver transplants.
Related Resources
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2023 Publication Alert: Living donor liver transplantation can address disparities in transplant access for patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis Published in August 2023, this study, partially funded by PSC Partners Seeking...
A Recent Publication Summary: A Summary of Trends in Liver Transplantation for Autoimmune Liver Diseases: A Canadian Study A Recent Publication Summary A Summary of Trends in Liver Transplantation for Autoimmune Liver...
