Model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) exception for unusual metabolic liver diseases

Abstract

Metabolic liver disease is the underlying diagnosis in only a small proportion of patients who undergo liver transplantation (LT), but for these patients, LT is lifesaving. Patients with metabolic liver disease often do not present with typical findings of end-stage liver disease and require special consideration and scrutiny concerning the appropriateness and timing of LT. Liverbased metabolic disease is classified into 3 types: (1) disease that causes structural liver damage with liver failure or cirrhosis, (2) metabolic disease without structural liver damage that affects other organs (especially the central nervous system), and (3) metabolic disease with systemic deficiencies that are partially represented in the liver. There may be overlap in presentation, with some disease forms presenting either with or without structural liver disease. General considerations that affect review board decisions may include the relative contraindication of the use of living-related donor organs and the unpredictable metabolic course that may cause severe central nervous system complications in several of these disease states. Also, although many of these diseases present mostly in children, adolescents and adults previously managed medically are increasingly presenting for LT consideration when medical management becomes more difficult or complex as they mature.