LAUSR

The etiology of acute liver failure (ALF)varies widely, with drug toxicity being the leading cause in Western countries while viral hepatitis predominates in Asia.(1, 2)Th varying etiology may lead to a different phenotype and clinical course of ALF by location. Without liver transplantation (LT), ALF is frequently fatal with due to cerebral edema and multi-system organ failure. In the West, where LT with deceased donors is well established, most eligible ALF patients receive whole liver allografts, often with the highest priority on the waitlist. As a result, live donor liver transplant (LDLT) is rarely undertaken for ALF patients. In contrast, many countries in the Far East do not have access to adequate deceased donors, and thus rely on LDLT for almost all patients, including those with ALF. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.