If you place your right hand over the area under the ribs on the right side of your body it will just about cover the area of your liver. The liver is the largest gland, and the largest solid organ in the body, weighing some 1.8 kgs in men and 1.3 kgs in women. It holds approximately 13% (about one pint or 0.57 litres) of your total blood supply at any given moment and is estimated to have over 500 functions

Liver transplantation is the surgical replacement of a diseased liver with a healthy liver. The indication for this operation is end-stage liver disease, characterized by patients suffering from reduced liver function, muscle loss, fatigue, encephalopathy, signs of portal hypertension (see portal hypertension surgery), poor blood clotting and jaundice. A variety of liver diseases can lead to end-stage liver disease. There are generally two main categories: those cases caused by viruses (Hepatitis B and C) and/or alcohol and those caused by problems concerning the bile ducts (primary biliary cirrhosis and primary sclerosing cholangitis). There are other causes of end-stage liver disease, but they are less frequent. Prior to transplantation, a multidisciplinary liver transplant team evaluates potential liver recipients

Live donor liver transplantation (LDLT) is a procedure in which a living person donates a portion of his or her liver to another. The feasibility of LDLT was first demonstrated in the United States in 1989. The recipient was a child, who received a segment of his mother's liver. Since that time, LDLT for children has enjoyed wide success and many pediatric programs use this technique.

Once doctors feel sure that someone is a good transplant candidate, the search for a new liver will begin. The liver received will almost certainly be cadaveric (from a deceased organ donor). Unlike other kinds of organ transplants, the liver recipient and the liver donor do not have to be a perfect "match". There are, however, certain qualifications.

A general surgeon is a physician who has completed an internship and residency at a Residency Review Committee approved program. Most of these are University based and offer rotations at busy private and county or VA hospitals. The residency is a minimum of five years.

Obesity surgery is taking the country by storm. Almost everyone knows someone who used surgery to lose an incredible amount of weight. They have gone down several clothes sizes and look and feel like a different person.

A field of practice based on the knowledge and skills required for the prevention, diagnosis and management of acute and urgent aspects of illness and injury affecting patients of all age groups with a full spectrum of undifferentiated physical and behavioural disorders. It further encompasses an understanding of the development of pre-hospital and in-hospital emergency medical systems and the skills necessary for this development."