Kepenų transplantacijos raida pasaulyje ir Lietuvoje ; Development of liver transplantation in the world and in Lithuania

In 1955–1967, the basics of clinical liver transplantation were generated only in several experimental laboratories in Europe, Great Britain and United States. In 1967, the first successful human liver transplantation was performed by Thomas Starzl at University of Colorado. A year later, Roy Calne from University of Cambridge performed the first successful liver transplantation in Europe. The five-year survival rate was only 20% at that time. The situation changed in 1979 when the immunosuppressive agent cyclosporine A was introduced into clinical practice. The five-year survival rate reached 70%. The improved results of liver transplantation created a new problem – shortage of available organs. Reduced size liver transplantation, split liver transplantation, living donor liver transplantation were the methods to reduce organ shortage. Nowadays much attention is paid to xenotransplantation. Xenotransplantation is the transplantation of tissues or organs from one species to another. Liver transplantation in Lithuania makes only its first steps. In 1962, Laboratory of Heart and Vascular Surgery of Vilnius University was introduced, in which experimental works in the field of heart, kidney and liver transplantation were performed. At that time, the original method of treatment of acute liver insufficiency was introduced and clinically adapted. 68 experimental liver transplantations on laboratory animals were performed. In 1969, in the Laboratory of Heart and Vascular Surgery, the sector of immunology was established. The first attempts to perform human liver transplantation in Lithuania were made in 2000 at Vilnius University Hospital Santariškiu Klinikos and Kaunas Medical University Hospital. These operations were unsuccessful. Nevertheless the transplant teams continued to improve knowledge in this field of surgery. .