ABSTRACT
The first successful human liver transplant was performed in 1967 by Thomas Starzl in Denver, Colorado. The introduction of better immunosuppressants such as ciclosporin in 1979 and tacrolimus a decade later, refinements in surgical technique, and advances in organ preservation have each contributed to progressively better outcomes. Although the
availability of deceased donor grafts improved as a result of public awareness and national systems of organ sharing and distribution, there was a universal shortage of size-matched donor organs, particularly for small children, who deteriorated or died on the waiting list. To tackle this problem, surgical techniques were devised to enable adult donor livers to be used in small children.
