I wonder what was “experimental” about a liver transplant?
Probably not the transplant itself, but whether a transplant would actually correct the condition.
Just guessing, however, since there are a lot of missing details here.
PBR’s correct. It was probably an inborn error of metabolism like Gaucher’s disease or Hurler’s syndrome. There are enzyme defects in both the liver and other organs and people will sometimes grasp at desperate measures seeking a cure.