Present Status of Transplant Hepatologist in Japan

To overview the present status of transplant hepatologists in Japan, we conducted a nationwide survey in 2020 among transplant surgeons and hepatologists across 14 facilities which have performed more than 10 cases of liver transplantation in 2017. The response rate was as high as 100%. At most of the transplant facilities, transplant candidates were referred to the surgical departments, and pre/postoperative treatment was performed by surgeons. Although preoperative evaluation and consultation at the outpatient clinic was also performed by hepatologists, surgeons did not recognize this fact. Hepatologists were interested in preoperative treatment, postoperative immunosuppressant control, and lifestyle-related disease. To properly train transplant hepatologists, it is important to have cooperation between the training programs of hepatologists and surgeons, as well as to broaden the awareness of transplant surgeons.