Liver Transplants & Dissolvable Stents | Dr. Sonal Asthana

By Aditya Mendonca, Executive Editor, TheGoodCity.in. Based on an episode of India, In Conversation.

Your liver works around the clock, often without telling you when something is wrong. So how much do we really know about keeping it healthy? And could medical innovation change the way we treat liver disease and make care more accessible?

I sat down with Dr. Sonal Asthana, a leading hepatobiliary and liver transplant surgeon, on India, In Conversation to discuss some important questions about the future of healthcare in India.

We spoke about what it takes to make liver transplants more accessible, the effort to fund paediatric transplants, a dissolvable bile duct stent developed through a collaboration in Bengaluru, and the growing concern around fatty liver disease and other metabolic conditions.

It was a conversation about medical innovation, but just as importantly, about the people who need access to it.

Watch the full conversation:

The organ that does not complain

In Dr. Asthana’s words, the liver is a workhorse — the engine of the body. It performs hundreds of essential functions, yet liver disease can progress without obvious symptoms. That is what makes it particularly concerning. People may feel perfectly well even when liver disease is developing, and symptoms may only become apparent at a later stage.

Moreover, early-stage fatty liver disease often has no obvious symptoms. Waiting until you feel unwell may mean missing an opportunity for earlier assessment and care.

Could a dissolvable stent change the future of liver treatment? And how can India build a healthcare system that combines world-class medical expertise with access and affordability?

I had an amazing time interacting with them in 2018, 2019 for INNOVATE BENGALURU https://innovationsoftheworld.com/making-liver-transplantation-affordable/ read more here.

These were some of the questions we explored in our conversation.