American surgeons successfully performed a human bladder transplant, a world first that represents a turning point for patients with serious urinary disorders. Oscar Larrainzar, a 41-year-old father who had been on dialysis for seven years, was the recipient.
The man had to undergo the removal of a large portion of his bladder several years ago due to cancer, and later had both kidneys removed, UCLA, one of the two California universities participating in the operation, explained in a statement Sunday.
Larrainzar received a bladder and a kidney, both from the same donor, during an approximately eight-hour operation performed in early May at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, California.
“The surgeons first transplanted the kidney, then the bladder, and then connected the kidney to the new bladder using the technique they had developed,” the university stated.
Encouraging results
The results are encouraging and almost immediate, according to one of the surgeons, Dr. Nima Nassiri. “The kidney immediately produced a large volume of urine, and the patient’s kidney function immediately improved,” he said in a statement. “Dialysis was not necessary after the operation, and urine flowed correctly in the new bladder,” he added.
A historic moment in medicine
The surgery represents “a historic moment in medicine and could transform the treatment of patients” with bladders “that no longer function,” insisted Inderbir Gill, who co-directed the procedure.
Until now, bladder transplants were considered too complex, mainly due to the difficulty in accessing the area and its vascularization. This first transplant comes after more than four years of preparation and should be followed by others within the framework of a clinical trial to evaluate the benefits and risks of such an operation.
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