Current status and prospect of artificial liver support system

Liver transplantation is the best treatment for endstage liver disease. Because of the severe shortage of donor sources, most of the patients died while waiting for liver grafts. Artificial liver support system can improve the liver function in a short time, and help patients to pass the waiting periods. Artificial liver support system takes place of composition, detoxification and metabolism function of liver, stabilizes the physiological and biochemical index of liver, relieves the burden of liver and helps patients to prepare for the liver transplantation. With the wide application of artificial liver support system, new types of the artificial liver support systems gradually conquered the defects of the old types, but they still have their own defects. This review concludes the merits and demerits of artificial liver systems, its clinical application and the problems so as to help the treatment of endstage liver disease.