About the Pediatric Liver Center

The Pediatric Liver Center at Children's Hospital Colorado, managed jointly by the medical, surgical and transplantation teams, is a multidisciplinary clinic specifically designed to meet the needs of children with liver disease. The staff of the Pediatric Liver Center are internationally recognized for contributions leading to new discoveries in diagnosis, treatment and surgery for pediatric hepatobiliary (liver, gallbladder and bile related) disorders.

Why choose Children’s Colorado for liver care?

Children's Colorado, in partnership with the University of Colorado School of Medicine, is the only provider of complete pediatric multispecialty liver disease and liver transplant services in the Rocky Mountain region. The multidisciplinary care team of hepatology physicians and surgeons, nurses, dietitians, social workers and psychologists provide comprehensive services from diagnosis to treatment.

Novel therapies are available through clinical trials. We work closely with specialists in radiology, pathology and diagnostics who have expertise in pediatric liver diseases. Leveraging these services available at Children’s Colorado, patients can receive a comprehensive evaluation in one center.  

If liver transplantation is appropriate, the same care team directs the transplantation evaluation process with seamless transitions. Available liver transplant options include whole liver, reduced segment liver, split liver and living related donor liver transplants.The program emphasizes excellent liver disease and transplant outcome and a close working relationship with primary care providers and families.

Specific conditions we treat

• Acute and chronic hepatitis, including infectious (Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C viruses), autoimmune and others
• Acute liver failure
• Alagille syndrome
• Alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency
• Autoimmune hepatitis
• Biliary and gall bladder disorders
• Biliary atresia and idiopathic neonatal hepatitis
• Choledochal cyst
• Chronic hepatitis B
• Chronic hepatitis C
• Cirrhosis
• Congenital bile duct malformations
• Congenital hepatic fibrosis
• Cystic fibrosis liver disease
• End-stage liver disease 
• Glycogen storage diseases of the liver
• Hemochromatosis
• Liver tumors and masses (malignant and non-malignant)
• Metabolic disorders involving the liver 
• Mitochondrial disorders of the liver
• Portal hypertension and esophageal varices
• Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC)
• Progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis (Byler syndrome and others)
• Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
• Portal hypertension
• Wilson disease

Services offered

• Liver transplantation, evaluation and follow-up
• Advanced technologies and the most current treatment protocols for improved diagnosis, care, education and recovery
• Board-certified pediatric gastroenterologists, pediatric transplant hepatologists, pediatric surgeons and transplant surgeons
• Pediatric nurses specially trained in the treatment of pediatric liver and biliary disorders
• Comprehensive consultation, diagnosis and treatment for all pediatric hepatic and biliary disorders
• Consultation, evaluation and administration of liver transplant candidacy
• Clinical trials of new medications and treatments
• NIH funded clinical research studies of novel diagnostic and treatment modalities
• Educational services for patients, families, school, staff, physicians and other providers
• Advanced endoscopic procedures (including ERCP and MRCP) for diagnosis and therapy
• Nutrition counseling and support provided by a Pediatric dietitian/nutritionist
• Nurse transplant coordinators
• Psycho-social evaluations and follow-up, patient and family support groups
• Interventional radiological procedures
• Part of several national networks of pediatric research centers for liver disease
• Surgical treatment including the Kasai procedure for biliary atresia
• Assistance in accessing financial resources