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Treating pediatric liver disease


The Liver Care Center is designed to provide a medical home for children dealing with highly complex liver disease. More than 900 children and teens with a wide range of liver diseases, from acute hepatitis to a chronic liver disease that may require transplant, are receiving ongoing care in our clinics.

Our liver care team


Our team of liver specialists is committed to providing comprehensive care by partnering with families to care for each child - not just the disease. We work directly with other specialists throughout Children's Mercy whenever needed in order to give children the best available care. We also coordinate with hepatology and transplant teams at the University of Kansas Medical Center to offer comprehensive care as our teenage patients transition to adulthood.

Conditions

  • Acute fulminant hepatic failure

  • Alagille syndrome

  • Alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency

  • Autoimmune hepatitis

  • Biliary atresia

  • Biliary hypoplasia

  • Budd-Chiari syndrome

  • Hepatic insufficiency

  • Hepatic vascular malformations

  • Hepatitis A, B & C (chronic or acute)

  • Hepatoblastoma

  • Hepatomegaly

  • Jaundice

  • Liver transplant

  • Caroli's disease/syndrome

  • Cholangitis

  • Choledochal cyst

  • Cholestasis

  • Cirrhosis

  • Cystic fibrosis related liver disease

  • Focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH)

  • Gilbert's syndrome

  • Glycogen storage disease

  • Hepatic adenomas

  • Hepatic encephalopathy

  • Hepatic hemangioendothelioma (inc. Infantile hepatic hemangioendothelioma)

  • Mesenchymal hamartoma

  • Neonatal hepatitis

  • Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) & non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH)

  • Portal hypertension

  • Portal vein malformations/thrombosis

  • Primary sclerosing cholangitis

  • Progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis (PFIC)

  • Splenomegaly

  • Viral hepatitis

  • Wilson disease

Stories

Liver transplant: Brendan’s story

Diagnosed with alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency as an infant, Brendan Elam’s condition was stable until he was about 7 years old. That’s when his liver began to fail, eventually leading to the need for a liver transplant at Children’s Mercy. Brendan’s transplant and recovery went well, and today he’s an active college student pursuing a degree in music education.

Meet Brendan

Liver transplant: Gable's story

At 22 years old, Gable Dull is living his best life, recently married, studying law and enjoying hunting and fishing. But nearly a decade ago, his future was uncertain. He was diagnosed with Wilson’s disease, a rare inherited condition. A liver transplant at Children’s Mercy Kansas City has helped him get healthy and stay that way.

Meet Gable
Gable Dull

Liver transplant: Marissa's story

Marissa Ebbing has had a lot to overcome in her young life--prematurity, liver cancer, and then a liver transplant. But with her Children's Mercy Hematology/Oncology and Liver Care Center teams, she's not just surviving, but thriving!

Meet Marissa
Marissa Ebbing smiling down at camera.

Liver transplants: Cambree's story

Born with a rare liver disorder called biliary atresia, Cambree Alvarez required not one, but two liver transplants at Children’s Mercy before her second birthday. Today, she’s the “cutest Little Miss Sassy Pants,” enjoying life to its fullest.

Meet Cambree
Cambree Alvarez smiling in a pink dress.