America successfully performed the first bladder transplant on a human

Dr. Inderbir Gill (left) and Dr. Nima Nassiri (right) performed the surgery on the patient, Mr. Oscar Larrainzar (41 years old), who had a rare form of bladder cancer - Photo: UCLA HEALTH

According to the Straits Times on May 20, the bladder transplant surgery was performed by doctors from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) and the University of Southern California (USC) for Oscar Larrainzar - who lost most of his bladder function due to treatment for a rare form of bladder cancer.

After the surgery, Mr. Larrainzar (41 years old) happily shared during the follow-up examination on May 18: “I used to be like a time bomb. But now I have hope.”

In addition to the bladder transplant, Mr. Larrainzar also received a kidney transplant in this surgery because both of his kidneys were removed nearly four years ago.

Surprisingly, when Mr. Larrainzar's new kidney and bladder were connected, excretory function was restored almost immediately, whereas it usually takes up to a week after a kidney transplant for urine production to begin.

“His creatinine levels (an indicator of kidney function) started improving immediately after the transplant,” said surgeon Nima Nassiri.

Doctors plan to perform four more bladder transplants as part of the clinical trial, before moving on to larger-scale research.

In the past, most patients who had their bladders removed would have a piece of intestine used to help drain urine.

However, intestinal tissue contains a lot of bacteria, and introducing it into the urinary system - which is a sterile environment - can easily lead to complications. According to Dr. Inderbir Gill, the complication rate with this method is up to 80%.

As a result, Dr Inderbir Gill, who performed the surgery alongside Dr Nassiri, called it “the realization of a dream” in treating thousands of patients who suffer from chronic pelvic pain, inflammation and recurrent infections.

“There is no doubt: a door of potential has been opened for people who previously had no hope,” said Dr. Gill, who is also chief of urology at USC.

Still, some experts remain cautious. Dr. Rachel Forbes, an organ transplant specialist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, said the biggest risks are the body's immune response (rejection) after the transplant and side effects from immunosuppressive drugs.

“This is obviously a technical step forward but we already have options available for people without a bladder that don't require immunosuppressive drugs.

“Unless the patient was already on those medications, as in Mr. Larrainzar’s case, I worry that (this approach) may be trading one complication for another,” said Dr. Forbes.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/my-thuc-hien-thanh-cong-ca-ghep-bang-quang-dau-tien-tren-nguoi-20250520161207384.htm