300 livers transplanted

In 1992, a liver was transplanted for the first time at the University Hospital of Würzburg (UKW). 33 years later, on 23 November 2025, the 300th liver transplant took place. The "anniversary patient" Petra Thierauf, born in 1961, was referred to the UKW by Schweinfurt Leopoldina Hospital in September 2025 with a diagnosis of autoimmune hepatitis.

"In this disease, the immune system mistakenly produces antibodies against its own liver cells. This results in persistent inflammation, which ultimately destroys the liver," explains Professor Johan Lock, Head of Transplant Surgery.

Autoimmune hepatitis can progress gradually or - as in Petra Thierauf's case - occur acutely: It took just nine months from the initial malaise with fatigue and sleep disorders to presentation at the UKW. The examinations revealed that the patient's liver was already so badly damaged that there was no longer any alternative to a transplant.

Suitable donor liver available after five weeks

On 16 October, Petra Thierauf was placed on the waiting list for a donor organ by the non-profit Eurotransplant Foundation. After around five weeks at home in Bad Kissingen, she received the relieving call from the UKW on 23 November that a suitable liver was available.

"I didn't even know where my head was for sheer joy," reports the patient. She weighs around 40 kilograms and is 1.55 metres tall - this limited the organs that were potentially available for Petra Thierauf: For example, the liver of a tall man would not have found enough room in her body. "Fortunately, we were able to overcome this hurdle with the liver of a young female donor," says Dr Johanna Wagner. The deputy head of transplant surgery at the UKW carried out the operation with an interdisciplinary surgical team.

Deep gratitude for the donor

According to a UKW press release, Petra Thierauf's four-hour operation went without complications. She was able to leave the intensive care unit on the second day after the operation and has been recovering well ever since.

"I am absolutely delighted with the medical and nursing care at the University Hospital of Würzburg," praises the patient. "I often think with regret but full of gratitude about the young woman I didn't know who gave me this wonderful gift for another life through her organ donation."

As a mother of two and grandmother of four, the pensioner is looking forward to returning to her family, from whom she had to stay away for a long time to protect against infection. The immunosuppressants that she now has to take permanently not only ensure that her body does not reject the foreign liver, but also solve the problem of persistent autoimmune hepatitis.

Grand farewell for the anniversary patient

On 5 December 2025, Petra Thierauf was discharged home and picked up by her husband at the UKW. She expects to be able to start rehab in around five to six weeks. To mark the anniversary, she was given a big send-off with representatives from the many disciplines involved in the liver transplant programme at the UKW.

"The 300th liver transplant marks a significant milestone for our hospital. Transplants are among the most complex procedures in modern medicine - they require the highest surgical precision, interdisciplinary cooperation and a perfectly coordinated team," said Professor Tim J. von Oertzen, Medical Director and Chairman of the Board of the UKW. "The fact that we have mastered this challenge so successfully fills me with great appreciation for our employees and with gratitude towards the organ donors." On behalf of everyone involved, he wished Petra Thierauf all the best and presented her with a bouquet of flowers.

Expansion of the liver transplant programme

The UKW's liver transplant programme has been significantly expanded in recent years. "This year alone, we have carried out 34 liver transplants up to the end of November," reports Dr Anna Laura Herzog, Head of the Transplant Centre at the UKW. According to her, the average five-year survival rate for this procedure at Würzburg University Hospital is over 70 per cent.