First endoscopic surgery to take liver from living donor performed

This is the first time such surgery has been conducted in Vietnam.

According to Colonel Dr. Le Van Thanh from the hospital, the complicated operation took five hours, requiring great experience from doctors and modern medical equipment.

The donor has recovered after six days, while the receiver has also seen normal liver function and good health conditions after 10 days, he said.

Currently, Vietnam has nine medical facilities that can perform liver transplantation, with total 300 patients having liver transplanted so far. The Central Military Hospital 108 has conducted the highest number of liver transplantations from living donors in the country with 91 cases. The hospital expects to raise its number of liver transplantations each year to 100-150 cases from 40-50 currently.

So far, Vietnamese doctors have mastered this technique, giving hopes to more patients.

Statistics showed that each year, about 2,000-2,5000 patients suffering liver diseases need transplantation in Vietnam.