A successful bladder transplant in the United States, a world first-Liberation

It is a world premiere that could prove to be a turning point for patients suffering from serious bladder disorders. At the beginning of May, American surgeons successfully produced a human bladder transplant. Oscar Larrainzar, a 41 -year -old father under dialysis for seven years was the beneficiary. This man must have been removed several of his bladder several years ago due to cancer. He then had his two kidneys removed, explained the UCLA, one of the two Californian universities involved in this operation, In a press release published Sunday, May 18.

During this historic operation, which lasted about eight hours at Ronald Reagan Ucla Medical Center in Los Angeles (California), Oscar Larrainzar thus received a bladder – But also a kidney – of the same donor. « The surgeons first transplanted the kidney, then the bladder and they then linked the kidney to the new bladder using the technique they developed », said the university.

With almost instantaneous encouraging results, according to one of the surgeons, Doctor Nima Nassiri: « The kidney immediately produced a large volume of urine and the patient’s kidney function immediately improved, » he said in a press release. And to continue: « No dialysis was necessary after the operation and the urine has passed properly in the new bladder. »

« This surgery represents a historic moment in medicine and could transform the treatment of patients » having bladders « No longer working », insisted him Doctor Inderbir Gill, who co-managed the operation.

The bladder transplants were so far considered too complex due in particular to difficulties in access to the area and its vascularization. Patients were therefore only proposed a reconstruction of artificial bladder using digestive tract or the installation of a stoma pocket, an external prosthesis that can collect their urine. Interventions « Effective » but comprising « Many short and long -term risks », According to Doctor Gill. The two doctors have therefore been working for years in the development of a surgical technique allowing transplants of this organ of the urinary system.

This first transplant, which occurs after more than four years of preparation, should be followed by others as part of a large clinical trial. The goal: to assess the benefits and risks of such an operation.