About this Event:

If you have ADPKD, you are likely to develop cysts in organs other than your kidneys; most commonly in your liver. This is referred to as polycystic liver disease (PLD). People without ADPKD can develop PLD too, with approximately 1 in 500 people carrying the genes that cause PLD. In some patients with liver involvement, the liver can grow to be three times the size of a healthy liver; resulting in the need for transplantation.

In this webinar, Dr. Leslie Lilly, MD MSc FRCP(C) summarized the role of liver transplantation in the management of PKD and PLD, and also discussed the outcomes of liver transplantation in patients with these diseases. We were also joined by PKD patient and two-time liver transplant recipient, Jan Robertson who shared her journey through the transplant process.

About the Speakers:

Dr. Lilly received his Undergraduate and Graduate training in Physiology and Pharmacology at the University of Toronto before completing his Medical education at McMaster University. He then completed Fellowships in Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology in Toronto. Following a Research Fellowship at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston in the laboratory of Dr. John Gollan, Dr. Lilly joined the Multi Organ Transplant Program at the Toronto General Hospital, which has one of North America’s largest liver transplant programs. He served as the Medical Director of GI Transplantation as well as the Director of the Transplant Hepatology Fellowship Program for many years. His main research interests include management and outcomes research in patients with viral hepatitis undergoing liver transplantation; he has also served as the Principal Investigator in several trials involving immunosuppression and antiviral medications in the transplant setting.

Jan Robertson was diagnosed with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) when she was 25yo; 44 years ago. In 1998, Jan underwent her first of two life-saving liver transplants from a deceased donor; her birth liver was close to 40 pounds when removed. Jan required a second liver transplant, which took place in 2008, after a persistent bile duct infection caused the first transplanted liver to fail. She is now in the early stages of beginning to look for a living kidney donor, in the hopes of bypassing dialysis.

This presentation is now available to watch online, here.