Surgeons in the US have successfully performed the first human bladder transplant. The surgery, which was completed at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center on May 4, marks a “historic moment in medicine”, the team behind it says.
Bladder transplants are already an incredibly complex procedure, hindered further by the complicated vascular structure of the pelvic area, hence, we’ve had to wait so long for this breakthrough.
The milestone comes as a result of a collaboration between surgeons from UCLA Health and Keck Medicine of USC, and was announced in a statement on Sunday.
“This surgery is a historic moment in medicine and stands to impact how we manage carefully selected patients with highly symptomatic ‘terminal’ bladders that are no longer functioning,” Dr Inderbir Gill, founding executive director of USC Urology, said.
“Transplantation is a lifesaving and life-enhancing treatment option for many conditions affecting major organs, and now the bladder can be added to the list.”
Oscar Larrainzar, recipient of the world’s first human bladder transplant.
Image credit: Nick Carranza/UCLA Health
The recipient of the first-in-human transplant is Oscar Larrainzar, who lost most of his bladder during a tumor removal, as well as both of his kidneys. He spent seven years on dialysis and was an ideal candidate for this kind of procedure.
One of the major risks of organ transplantation is the body’s potential rejection of the organ, which means long-term immunosuppression, complete with numerous undesirable side effects, is essential. As such, patients already taking the drugs or with a pressing need for them, like Larrainzar, are best suited to the surgery.
As well as receiving a shiny new bladder, Larrainzar underwent a kidney transplant, with the two organs connected in the hope they would work together in tandem. In total, the surgery lasted around eight hours.
The pioneering feat has been over four years in the making, Dr Nima Nassiri, the urologic transplant surgeon responsible for the procedure, added in the statement. He and Gill worked closely in that time to refine a new surgical technique to connect the kidney and bladder, design clinical trials, and secure the necessary regulatory approvals.
“The kidney immediately made a large volume of urine, and the patient’s kidney function improved immediately,” Nassiri said. “There was no need for any dialysis after surgery, and the urine drained properly into the new bladder.”
And, it seems, the results have been sustained in the weeks since.
“Despite the complexity of the case, everything went according to plan and the surgery was successful,” Gill added. “The patient is doing well, and we are satisfied with his clinical progress to date.”
We still don’t know how the transplanted bladder will hold up in the long term, and how much immunosuppression will ultimately be needed, but the surgeons are optimistic that this could be the beginning of something special, and much-needed, for the millions of people around the world living with bladder disease and dysfunction.
“Despite the unknowns, our goal is to understand if bladder transplantation can help patients with severely compromised bladders lead healthier lives,” Gill said.
Source Link: World First As US Surgeons Perform Successful Human Bladder Transplant