Effective August 1, 2024, the OPTN Waiting List, known as WaitlistSM, lists ‘Histotripsy’ and ‘Other’ as loco-regional treatment options for initial and extension exception requests for liver candidates with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
This update is the first of two implementation phases of modifications approved by the OPTN Executive Committee in March 2024 to update liver diagnosis code nomenclature and treatment options for HCC exceptions. The second phase, planned for release in October 2024, will deactivate the diagnosis code of “Cirrhosis: fatty liver (NASH)” and add two new diagnosis codes of “Cirrhosis: metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH)” and “Cirrhosis: metabolic dysfunction and alcohol-related/associated liver disease (MetALD).” For more detail, refer to the briefing paper.
Liver transplant programs should be aware of the new treatment options that will display for initial and extension HCC exception requests. When selecting ‘Other’ as a loco-regional treatment, users are encouraged to enter treatment details in the justification narrative.
