Review article: improved preservation of the liver for transplantation

SUMMARY This paper reviews the development of the techniques used for liver preservation and describes their clinical use. Recent advances with the introduction of lactobionate based solutions for simple cold storage are described and illustrated by their effect on the Cambridge/King's College Hospital transplant programmes. Better preservation of the liver has simplified the logistics of the transplant procedure, improving organ usage and allowing increased sharing of livers for urgent or paediatric cases.