By Good News Instead
Photos: YouTube Screenshots
A remarkable milestone in medical history has been achieved at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where the first-ever human bladder transplant was successfully performed. This groundbreaking procedure has been four years in the making and brings new hope to patients with bladder dysfunction.
The journey to this achievement involved overcoming numerous challenges, particularly because bladder transplants had previously only been attempted on cadavers. However, the team at UCLA, led by the talented Dr. Nima Nassiri, a urologic transplant surgeon and director of the groundbreaking bladder replacement research program, was determined to explore this innovative approach. Alongside him was Dr. Inderbir Gill, the founding executive director of USC Urology, whose collaboration was integral to the success of this pioneering surgery.
The patient, who had endured the loss of most of his bladder due to tumor removal and had previously undergone kidney removal due to cancer, faced many health challenges. After being on dialysis for seven years, he was ready for this transformative procedure. The surgery, lasting eight hours, involved the seamless transplantation of a new kidney and bladder, utilizing a technique developed by Dr. Nassiri and Dr. Gill. READ MORE…
