Minister of Health Fahrettin Koca announced on his social media account that the world’s first 6-way cross liver transplant was performed at Malatya İnönü University Liver Transplant Institute.
Stating that the first 4- and 5-way cross liver transplants were also performed in this centre, he said, “Cross transplantation surgeries mean that patients cannot receive organs from their own donors due to blood and tissue incompatibility although they have donors, and transplantation is performed from the donor of one to the recipient of the other among patients in the same situation. The most advanced of these transplants, 6-way cross liver transplantation surgeries increase hope for patients waiting for transplantation.
“It will give hope to patients waiting for liver transplantation”
Koca also shared the video in which Prof. Dr. Sezai Yılmaz, Head of Malatya İnönü University Liver Transplant Institute, explained the operation process. Prof. Dr. Yılmaz stated that 2-cross transplants were performed in many countries in the world, but it was revealed that this did not make a great contribution to patients waiting for liver transplantation, but success was achieved with multiple cross liver transplants.
Prof. Dr. Yılmaz said that 9 of the 3-cross transplants, which have been performed 11 times so far, as well as 4 and 5-cross liver transplants have been performed in their institute and said, “Yesterday, a 6-cross liver transplant was performed for the first time. It started at 08.00 in the morning, finished around 20.00 in the evening and was completed without any problems. The condition of our patients is very good. I hope that this model will give hope to patients waiting for liver transplantation both in our country and in the world. These operations, including 2-way cross transplants, are not performed on the same day abroad, for example in the USA, even in highly developed countries. But in Malatya, 2-, 3-, 4-, 5-, 5-, 6-way cross transplants are performed as a routine procedure. I think Malatya University will be the centre of cross liver transplantation.”
Malatya is one of Turkey’s leading cities for health services.
