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While meditating about becoming a living organ donor, I was quite surprised to come across the following:

Within eight weeks, both the donor's and the recipient's livers will be almost completely regenerated

(https://www.ucsfhealth.org/education/living-donor-liver-transplant-the-facts)

and

How Long Does It Take for a Liver to Regenerate After Donation?

In a few months after surgery, your liver will regenerate back to its full size, and return to your pre-donation level of health. The other person’s new liver will grow to full size as well, leaving both people with healthy, functioning livers.

(https://www.upmc.com/services/transplant/liver/living-donor/process/after)

Due to this amazingly rapid regeneration capacity of the liver, could it be possible in the near future, that a living donor could donate their liver multiple times in their lifetime? If not, what are the chief reasons for that?

JMP
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Ritesh Singh
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1 Answers1

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Liver donation - an act of great honor - should only be done once.

Liver regeneration occurs via compensatory hyperplasia.

Regeneration of the liver can be more correctly defined as compensatory hyperplasia where in the remaining liver tissue expands to meet the metabolic needs of the organism. Unlike anatomic true regeneration, the expanding liver does not regain its original gross anatomical structure.

Source

Thus, the structure is very different and not ideal for another surgery recipient.

JMP
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Andrew
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