[Liver transplantation. Current aspects].

The development of liver transplantation has led to technical refinements such as liver graft reduction or splitting for transplantation in two recipients, the use of living related donors, and the temporary orthotopic transplantation of auxiliary liver grafts. Regarding immuno-suppression, new drugs are currently under evaluation, such as tacrolimus (FK 506) which could be effective on some severe rejections. On the other hand, the indications of liver transplantation have been revisited according to clinical results. In France, the increasing development of organ and tissue transplantation has led to the creation of the Etablissement Français des Greffes, which has the following missions: managing the waiting lists, supporting organ donation, ensuring sanitary safety, and evaluating transplantation activities. Future alternatives to allogenic liver transplantation are mainly represented by xenografting with monkey or pig livers, hepatic assistance and bioartificial liver, and gene therapy.