Editing Liver transplantation (section)

===MELD===
In the US, the Model for End Stage Liver Disease ([[MELD score]]) for adults and the Pediatric End Stage Liver Disease (PELD score) for children younger than 12 years old are clinical scoring tools that take various clinical criteria into consideration and are used to assess the need for a liver transplant.<ref name="Lucey 2023" /> Higher scores for each clinical scoring tool indicates a higher severity of liver disease, and thus a greater need for a liver transplant.<ref name="Lucey 2023" /> In those with chronic liver disease, a decompensating event such as [[hepatic encephalopathy]], [[esophageal varices|variceal bleeding]], [[ascites]], or [[spontaneous bacterial peritonitis]] may also signal a new need for a liver transplant.<ref name="Lucey 2023" />