Editorial statement

Abstract

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In the following four articles, we will provide an overview of the current clinical work in different areas of liver transplantation.

For many decades, this transplantation has been the treatment choice for patients suffering from chronic and acute liver diseases.

Understanding of the complexity of this procedure can be read only through a multidisciplinary approach.

Liver transplantation has become a clinical reality thanks to the pioneer Thomas E Starzl, MD, PhD, who at the University of Colorado was one of the first to test cyclosporine in humans. Considered the father of liver transplantation, he performed the world's first liver transplant at the University of Colorado in 1963. Upon his arrival in Pittsburgh in 1981, when the university's liver transplant program began, Dr. Starzl continued research on the drug, which was approved by U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in November 1983.

Now, after many thousands of liver transplants have been successfully accomplished worldwide, the main problems to be solved remain the chronic shortage of organs and the need to investigate alternative and less aggressive forms of therapy, for the cure of end-stage liver disease.

The authors would like to thank Domenico Biondo for his help in editing these papers.

648 Pediatric liver transplantation

Spada M, Riva S, Maggiore G, Cintorino D, Gridelli B

675 Imaging in liver transplantation

Caruso S, Miraglia R, Maruzzelli L, Gruttadauria S, Luca A, Gridelli B

684 Interventional radiology procedures in adult patients who underwent liver transplantation

Miraglia R, Maruzzelli L, Caruso S, Milazzo M, Marrone G, Mamone G, Carollo V, Gruttadauria S, Luca A, Gridelli B

694 Psychological evaluation and follow-up in liver transplantation

Morana JG