Türkiye performs world-first eight-way cross-liver transplant

Health Minister Kemal Memisoglu on Tuesday announced that Turkish surgeons have performed the world's first eight-way cross-liver transplant at Inonu University, praising the medical team for a historic achievement that reinforces Türkiye's standing in global medicine.

Historic milestone

Memisoglu congratulated Professor Sezai Yilmaz and his colleagues on the Turkish social media platform NSosyal, noting that the breakthrough took place at the Inonu University Liver Transplant Institute. "A new world first has been achieved at our Inonu University Liver Transplant Institute," he said, emphasizing the significance of the milestone for medical science.

The minister underscored that the complex procedure had secured the team's place in medical history. "Dr. Sezai Yilmaz and his estimable team have written their names in medical history with an eight-way cross-liver transplant," Memisoglu stated, adding that their work advances both healthcare and surgical innovation.

Global transplant hub

Türkiye has become a globally recognized center for liver transplantation, with approximately 1,800 such procedures performed annually across the country, according to ministry data. More than 300 of these operations are carried out at the Inonu University institute alone, which has trained numerous specialists now practicing worldwide.