Occasional viewpoint

Limits to liver transplantation in the UK In recent years, the number of liver transplants performed in the UK and the Republic of Ireland has been increasing by approximately 10 % per year, rising from 509 in 1992 to 687 in 1995. Over the same period, the number of solid organ donors notified to the UK Transplant Support Serv-ice Authority (UKTSSA) has remained relatively static (951 in 1992, and 966 in 1995).1 In 1996, however, there was a fall in the number of liver donors for the first time, with only 691 donors accepted compared with 724 in 1995.2 3 In parallel with this decrease in organ availability, there was a 5 % decline in the number of liver transplants (from 687 in 1995 down to 652 in 1996) and a corresponding 9 % fall in the number of cadaveric kidneys transplanted.3 Although transplant activity has sinc