| News From Transplant Week of March 10, 2002 / Vol. 3 No. 10 |
|
World's First Uterus Transplant Performed in Saudi Arabia |
|
Saudi Arabian doctors reported performing the world's first uterus transplant, from a 46-year-old woman to a 26-year-old who had a hysterectomy because of a hemorrhage after childbirth, but who was still hoping to have another baby. The transplanted uterus remained healthy for 99 days, and ultrasound tests showed the uterus responding with a monthly buildup of endometrial tissue, doctors reported. The woman had two normal menstrual periods. All went well until the 99th day, the doctors said, when the recipient reported pelvic discomfort, and tests showed that blood flow to the uterus had stopped. A hysterectomy was performed. The doctors reported that the problem may have occurred because the uterus was not anchored securely enough, leading to "probable tension, torsion, or kinking" of blood vessels. The idea of
uterus transplants was first explored in the 1950s. But after
20 years of failed experiments on dogs and baboons, many scientists
considered it technically too challenging. A uterine transplant differs from most organ transplants in that the uterus is fed by small blood vessels, each of which must be reattached with microsurgical techniques. The Saudi transplant, performed in April 2000, was described in the International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics by Dr. Wafa Fageeh, Dr. Hassan Raffa, Dr. Hussain Jabbad and Dr. Anass Marzouki, of the King Fahd Hospital and research center in Jidda, Saudi Arabia. Fageeh said she and her colleagues had practiced on 16 baboons and two goats, perfecting vessel attachment techniques before performing the transplant on the woman. The recipient took anti-rejection drugs before and after the surgery, as well as hormones to help the uterus develop a normal lining, the doctors said. Other sources: International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics |
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
