Frequently Asked Questions

In some scenarios the cause of liver cancer is identified, for instance chronic hepatitis infection damages the DNA in the liver cells and cause liver cancer. Sometimes liver cancer occurs in patients with no underlying health conditions and it's not clear what causes it.

When the organ for transplantation is obtained from a deceased or brain-dead donor, it is called cadaveric transplant.

Produces blood proteins that help your immune system function well, carry oxygen and enable clotting Stores and releases nutrients to your bloodstream Produces bile – the enzyme that helps help digest food Breaks down saturated fat and produces cholesterol out of it Stores glucose in the form of glycogen Keeps your body free from toxins.

The three major liver diseases induced by alcohol are alcoholic fatty liver disease, alcoholic hepatitis and alcoholic cirrhosis. Alcoholic Fatty Liver Excess alcohol consumption leads to accumulation of extra fat in your liver.
The first stage of alcohol-related liver disease, this condition usually goes unnoticed as there might be no symptoms at all. However, some patients do present symptoms like unexplained fatigue and weakness. The fat accumulation in the liver will mostly go away by itself if you stop drinking alcohol at this stage. Those who are overweight and have diabetes will need to be extremely careful, for the risk of permanent liver damage is way higher in them. Alcoholic Hepatitis This is a condition that causes the liver to swell, in turn damaging it. The symptoms of alcoholic hepatitis include loss of appetite, vomiting, abdominal pain, fever and jaundice. It is estimated that one out of every three heavy drinkers develops alcoholic hepatitis.Alcoholic hepatitis can either be mild or severe. Mild liver damage can be reversed; all you need is to quit drinking. However, if one continues to consume alcohol despite having mild alcoholic hepatitis, the liver will slowly start becoming dysfunctional. According to reports, more than 50% of patients with severe alcoholic hepatitis do not survive. Alcoholic Cirrhosis Alcoholic cirrhosis is permanent scarring of liver caused due to excess alcohol consumption. A life-threatening condition and the most serious alcohol-related disease, the liver fails to function normally as healthy liver tissue gets replaced with scar tissue. The damage caused to the liver is usually irreversible. Though stopping alcohol consumption may help prevent further damage, related complications are not curable. In addition to the symptoms of alcoholic hepatitis the patient may develop severe bouts of jaundice, vomit blood, suffer from fluid accumulation in the abdomen and feet, get mentally disoriented or worse, slip into coma. Estimates say that almost 20% of heavy drinkersdevelop liver cirrhosis.

If the liver gets irreparably damaged and cannot be managed medically anymore, your doctor might recommend a liver transplant, depending on your health condition.

Liver transplant, put simply, is the process of replacing the diseased liver with a donated, healthy liver An extremely advanced procedure, it banks heavily on the expertise and experience of the transplant team and of course, high-end medical technology, transplant team and of course, high-end medical technology. There are two types of liver transplant: living donor transplant and cadaveric donor (deceased donor) transplant. When a healthy person donates part of his or her liver for transplantation, it is called living donor transplant. Living donor liver transplant has its advantages. If someone, preferably a family member is willing to donate part of their liver and the blood type matches, there is no need to wait. The liver regenerates itself and will grow to its normal size in both the donor and the recipient in 6-8 weeks. In case there is no live donor available, then one has to wait for cadaveric organ transplant (the liver of a donor who is brain-dead)..In some cases, one donor liver can be transplanted in two people. This is called Split Liver Transplantation. Worldwide, the success rate of liver transplant- both live and cadaveric - is quite high. Patients undergoing liver transplantation can expect a success rate of over 90%. We also perform pancreas transplant , which in most cases, is carried out simultaneously with a kidney transplant.

You will have to go through a series of investigations before the surgery to ensure that the donor kidney matches your tissue and blood type. You will also be screened for other health problems including heart or lung diseases. After these tests, you will be enlisted on the transplant list and also on the organ sharing network list. As soon as a matching recipient is available, we will let you know; and if all factors are favourable, our entire team will work as one to ensure you undergo the surgery without any issues.

The post-surgical risks, like every other transplant surgery, include rejection, infection, bleeding or reaction to anaesthesia. Rejection happens when the body fails to recognise the new kidney and fights to destroy it. During the first few weeks or months post-surgery, your body may try to reject your new kidney. This is called acute rejection and occurs in 25 - 55% of the recipients. You’ll be given immuno-suppressants to counter this problem. Remember, it is mandatory to continue these medicines for the rest of your life. There is also a chance of chronic rejection - a gradual, progressive loss of kidney function that may occur over many years. Unfortunately, there’s no known treatment for chronic rejection and the patient may have depend on dialysis again or opt for another transplant. Aster Centre of Excellence in Multi-Organ Transplant has a very strong infection control system that’s managed by a highly-trained team of infectious diseases & infection control Physicians. Besides, we also have advanced technology like the HEPA Filter that purifies air to 0.3 microns, creating a safe and sterile environment for the patient.

The advantages of minimally invasive spine surgery enable us to safely perform spine surgery in elderly patients with multiple medical problems and also obese /overweight patients, with the best possible medical outcomes.

Lumbar fusion is done to correct issues with the vertebrae such as painful motion and stability of the spine.