PCMC highlights successful liver transplantation program for kids

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Children’s Medical Center (PCMC) recently celebrated World Liver Day, highlighting its Pediatric Access to Liver Transplantation (PAsLiT) program’s accomplishment in saving the lives of young liver disease patients.

During the celebratory event on April 19, PCMC Executive Director Dr. Sonia B. Gonzalez emphasized the collective efforts of the center and its consortiums in enhancing pediatric liver transplant services across the Philippines.

READ: ‘Silent epidemic:’ Risk of fatty liver disease rising among Filipinos

“The number of Filipino children being diagnosed with Biliary Atresia and other neonatal cholestatic liver disease is continuously rising, and many of them will develop cirrhosis and eventually progress to end-stage liver disease,” the PCMC said in a statement.

“Sadly, very expensive liver transplantation is the only remedy for end-stage liver disease, and many of the patients suffering from this disease who consult PCMC come from the underprivileged sector of society,” it added.

The PCMC then mentioned that the first beneficiary of PAsLiT Program, six-year-old Sophie Aguilo, underwent a successful liver transplant in November 2020.

Another recipient of the program was Gianna Ambal Visto, three years old, who also underwent a liver transplant procedure in February 2024.

Better diagnostic machines

In a separate statement, the PCMC said that they have upgraded their diagnostic imaging machines as part of their commitment to deliver responsive service to Filipino children.

“The Somatom Lumina 3 Tesla Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), is a new system that gives full confidence to deliver the productivity, reproducibility, and patient satisfaction that clients demand in MRI,” the PCMC said.

“Magnetom Lumina is equipped with an AI-powered image reconstruction technology that takes advantage of convolutional neural networks that accelerate MR scans, making them faster than ever before. This 3 Tesla MRI scanner is a powerful tool providing high-resolution images with exceptional clarity allows for faster scan times,” it added.

READ: Children’s hospital finally gets land title after 34 years

Aside from that, the center added that it has a new Siemens Somatom X.ceed which is a “high-resolution, high-speed, low-radiation dose CT scanner with the category-best imaging chain suited for our pediatric patients.”

“With 128 slices, the X.ceed offers faster scan times and greater coverage, allowing for quick and accurate diagnosis of a wide range of conditions,” it added.

Some of its features are advanced applications that give detailed information on tissue composition and FAST 3D Camera, the PCMC said.