The first bladder transplant to the world could restore hope of life to Oscar Larrainzar, 41 -year -old father of four children, previously operated on tumor, without kidneys and in dialysis for seven years. The exceptional surgery was successfully conducted at the University of California (USA)
He really had little life expectancy Oscar Larrainzar41 -year -old father of four children, previously operated on tumor, without kidneys and in dialysis for seven years. But an exceptional surgery, the First bladder transplant in the worldhe has given up hope. The operation was successfully conducted at theUniversity of California (UCLA, USA)
The Uula Health surgeons performed one potentially revolutionary procedure For people who suffer from dysfunction and bladder pain for the most varied reasons. The intervention was completed on May 4 at the Ronald Reagan Ucla Medical Center. But only now can it be said that it was a success.
This first attempt to transplant bladder has requested Over four years of work – explains Nima Nassiri, who guided all the work and intervention – for the appropriately selected patient, it is exciting to be able to offer one New potential option
The UCLA was also the seat of the first kidney transplant in the world, conducted in the 1950s. Today, the university has performed 22,000 transplants of solid bodieswith survival rates well above the national average.
Because Oscar Larrainzar needed a bladder transplant (and how the intervention took place)
The receiver of the transplant, Oscar Larrainzar he had already suffered theremoval of both kidneys and most of the bladder due to a tumor. The remaining part of bladder was too small and compromised to work. The patient, without most urinary system, was in dialysis for seven years.
The complex procedure provided for the transplant both of a new bladder and a new kidneytaken by a donor. The surgeons first transplanted the kidney, then the bladder, then they have connected the kidney to the new bladder using the technique they experienced. The entire procedure lasted about eight hours.
The kidney immediately produced a Great volume of urine And the renal function of the patient immediately improved – says Nassiri – was not necessary no dialysis After the intervention and urine was properly drained in the new bladder
What has been done so far in similar cases (and why this intervention is revolutionary)
The bladder transplants have never been performed previously also due to the complex vascular structure of the pelvic area and the technique of the procedure. The current treatments include the replacement or increase in the urinary tank using part of the patient’s intestine to create a “new” bladder or an exit of urine exit from the body.
But these interventions, although sometimes they have proved to be effective, they involve many short and long term risks which compromise patient health, such as internal bleeding, bacterial infections and digestive problems.
A bladder transplant, on the other hand, translates into a Most normal urinary tank and can circumvent some short and long term problems associated with the use of the intestine
What will happen in the future
As with all the experimental procedures or in any case with a little previous case, they remain Some unknowns associated with the procedure, including the functioning of the bladder transplanted over time and the amount of immunosuppression necessary to prevent the rejection of the transplanted bodies. But, to date, Larrainzer It remained stable.
On the other hand, at the moment, the UCLA has proved to be an excellent location to perform theCombined intervention of kidney transplant and bladdersince the renal transplantation program of the University is hosted within its Urology department, allowing the use of the necessary infrastructure, clinical skills and multidisciplinary support to perform the procedure, as well as the patient management from pre-transplant assessment to post-transplant assistance.
The doctors are therefore very confidentie hope to perform other bladder transplants in the near future.
