[Liver transplantation in children].
Liver transplantation has become the treatment of many chronic liver diseases, acute hepatic failure and several metabolic diseases in children. Early referral to a transplantation center represents the major condition for its favourable outcome, in order to undertake this complex surgical procedure under the best conditions and to allow a rapid and complete recovery. The increasing shortage of organs leading to graft reduction, graft splitting and living related donation, the feasibility of multiple organ transplantation, the progress of gene therapy, the development of new extra-corporeal liver assist devices and the introduction of the auxiliary partial orthotopic liver transplantation have all contributed to significative changes in the perspectives of pediatric liver transplantation. Furthermore, new immunosuppressors as well as encouraging experimental results on graft tolerance may help in the near future to improve the long-term quality of life of pediatric recipients.