The donor operation is done through an incision in the upper abdomen. If the LDLT recipient is a child, only a portion of the left part of the liver is removed from the donor: about 25% of the donor's total liver (see figure 2).
Figure 2
If the LDLT recipient is an adult, a larger portion of the liver needs to be removed from the donor, usually the right portion of the liver: about 60% of the donor's total liver (see figure 3).
Figure 3
The blood vessels supplying the portion of the liver to be removed are separated out, the liver itself is divided, and the portion to be transplanted is removed. This portion is brought into a separate operating room for the recipient, where the transplant is then performed. The donor operation takes 6 to 8 hours.
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