A New Era in Uzbekistan’s Transplantology: The Country’s First Laparoscopic Liver Resection from a Living Donor Is Planned

From October 10 to 16, 2026, a joint liver transplantation program will be carried out at the Republican Specialized Scientific and Practical Medical Center of Surgery named after Academician V. Vakhidov, with the participation of leading specialists from Renji Hospital in Shanghai, China. The program includes three planned liver transplantations using living related donors.

The highlight of the visit will be the planned first-ever procedure in Uzbekistan involving laparoscopic resection of part of a living related donor’s liver, followed by transplantation of the harvested liver segment into the recipient.

The main advantage of this technology is that a portion of a healthy donor’s liver is removed through small incisions rather than a traditional large incision. This minimally invasive approach can reduce surgical trauma and postoperative pain, shorten the hospital stay, and help the donor recover more quickly. This is particularly important for ensuring the safety of healthy donors who voluntarily donate part of their liver to save the life of a loved one.

To implement this program, a team of eight specialists led by Professor Xia Qian, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, President of Renji Hospital, and a renowned surgeon and transplant specialist, will visit Tashkent. Under Professor Xia Qian’s leadership, one of the world’s major liver transplantation centers has been established. More than 8,000 liver transplantations have been performed at the hospital, including nearly 4,000 procedures involving children.

Three related donor–recipient pairs from the Fergana Valley have been prepared for the planned operations. In Namangan Region, 33-year-old S. Ahmadjanova will receive a liver transplant from her 34-year-old sister, O. Ahmadjanova. In Fergana Region, 45-year-old K. Yuldashev will receive part of his liver from his 18-year-old son, S. Obidov. In Namangan Region, 42-year-old D. Kimsanova is scheduled to receive part of her liver from her 19-year-old son, S. Abdakimov.

All clinical cases have been reviewed and discussed in advance by specialists from both medical institutions. The operations are scheduled for October 11–13 and will be performed by joint teams of Chinese and Uzbek surgeons, anesthesiologists, and intensive care specialists.

In addition to the surgical program, the Chinese specialists will conduct master classes, scientific and practical seminars, and clinical discussions on modern liver transplantation techniques, minimally invasive surgery, anesthesiology, intensive care, and the postoperative management of donors and recipients.

Another important event during the visit will be the signing of a memorandum of cooperation between the Republican Specialized Scientific and Practical Medical Center of Surgery named after Academician V. Vakhidov and Renji Hospital. The document will provide a foundation for long-term cooperation aimed at performing advanced surgical procedures jointly, training specialists and enhancing their qualifications, introducing cutting-edge surgical technologies, and developing joint scientific research.

The implementation of this program represents an important milestone in the development of transplantology in Uzbekistan. It is expected to expand treatment opportunities for patients with severe liver diseases while helping introduce modern minimally invasive technologies into the country’s medical practice to improve the safety of living donors.