Why Choose Cincinnati Children’s for Liver Disease Care
Families also turn to Cincinnati Children’s because we offer team-based, research-driven care for all types of liver disease.
Collaborative Care
When you and your child visit Cincinnati Children’s, we want you both to feel comfortable and well-cared for.
As an extra layer of support, we assign a nurse with advanced training in liver disease to every patient and family. This gives you someone to turn to whenever you have questions or concerns. And your child will see a familiar face every time they’re here.
You also can take comfort in knowing our nurses and hepatologists work closely with many other specialists, such as genetic counselors and rheumatologists (autoimmune disease specialists). Should your child need any other tests or treatments, we’ll make sure they receive seamless, coordinated care.
No Condition is Too Complex
We treat all types of liver disease in infants, children and teens.
Our areas of expertise include common conditions such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). We also treat rare disorders such as biliary atresia, progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis (PFIC), autoimmune liver disease and Wilson’s disease.
Advanced Testing and Treatment Options
Cincinnati Children’s offers tests and treatments that you can’t find at every medical center. These include:
- Less invasive (and even noninvasive) diagnostic procedures. For example, with endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided liver biopsy, we can take tiny samples from the liver without surgery.
- Comprehensive genetic testing and counseling.
- A liver transplant program that accepts whole and partial livers from deceased donors, and partial livers from healthy adult living donors. Our median wait time for a liver from a deceased donor is much shorter than both the regional and national average. And although living liver donation is less common, if you or someone you know is a good match for your child, we may be able to perform your child’s transplant (and remove them from the waiting list) more quickly
- The Kasai procedure (a type of surgery for infants with biliary atresia that can help delay, or in some cases prevent, the need for a liver transplant). Our success rate for this procedure is much higher than the national average.
Liver Disease Research
Our Pediatric Liver Care Center is home to researchers and physician-scientists committed to improving liver disease diagnosis and treatment.
By leading national and international studies, we’re learning more about the causes of liver disease (and who it’s most likely to affect). We’re also improving our ability to diagnose liver disease early—and finding safer, more effective ways to treat it.
As our patient, your child may be able to participate in a clinical trial for promising new medicines or procedures before they’re widely available.
And because our team remains on the forefront of research, we’re able to implement new findings or treatment strategies right away.
Nationally Recognized Care
Cincinnati Children’s has been ranked one of the best children’s hospitals for more than 15 years by U.S News & World Report, and our gastroenterology (GI) and GI surgery program (which includes our liver disease team) is ranked No. 1 in the nation.
Get a Second Opinion from Cincinnati Children’s
You don’t need a physician referral to get a second opinion from one of our liver disease specialists. We routinely see families who want to:
- Confirm a new diagnosis
- Discuss their child’s current treatment plan
- Ask another expert whether surgery or a nonsurgical treatment is the best option
- Learn about the potential risks and benefits of recommended treatments, as well as recovery times and possible side effects
If your child’s medical situation is urgent, we can usually schedule a second opinion appointment within 48 hours—or sooner if necessary.
To best manage your child’s care, please contact us to schedule an appointment.
