CMU doctors succeed in Thailand’s first living-donor liver transplant

The Faculty of Medicine at Chiang Mai University has announced success in its first liver transplant on a twin brother, who received a liver donation from his living younger brother.


According to Associate Professor Dr. Sanhavich Chanrangsi, the operation took more than nine hours and the patient is now being closely monitored.


Aged about 20, the patient suffered from biliary atresia since birth. He underwent the first surgery in 2005 to extend the function of the liver. Over the past six years, however, he developed several complications leading to a deterioration of his liver function, putting him at high risk of succumbing to acute liver failure.


To save his life, doctors at Chiang Mai University decided that the patient needed a liver transplant and his younger twin brother agreed to donate 65% of his liver.


According to Dr. Sanhavich, this was not just a case a living donor, but both the donor and recipient are identical twins who share similar genetic characteristics, making the donated liver and the host compatible, thus avoiding the need for long-term dependence on immunosuppressants.


Before the surgery, Dr. Sanhavich said the medical team had conducted comprehensive assessments of the health of both the donor and the recipient and planned post-surgery rehabilitation.


He also said that this is the first time that a medical institution in Thailand has succeeded in carrying out a liver transplant from a living donor.

CMU doctors succeed in Thailand’s first living-donor liver transplant