New York: In a groundbreaking medical milestone, surgeons in the United States have performed the world’s first successful bladder transplant in a human. The complex procedure was carried out by a joint team from Keck Medicine of USC and UCLA Health at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.
Led by Dr. Inderbir Gill, executive director of USC Urology, and Dr. Nima Nassiri, director of UCLA’s Vascularized Composite Bladder Allograft Transplant Program, the surgery offers new hope to patients with severe bladder dysfunction.
“This is a historic advancement in organ transplantation that could significantly change treatment for patients with non-functioning bladders,” said Dr. Gill.
The recipient, who had been on dialysis for seven years and lost most of his bladder due to cancer surgery, also received a kidney transplant during the same procedure. The team connected the new kidney directly to the transplanted bladder. The eight-hour surgery allowed the patient to produce urine for the first time in years and eliminated the need for dialysis.
Dr. Nassiri, who co-developed the surgical technique over four years, called it an “exciting new option” for carefully selected patients.
Both doctors reported the patient is recovering well, with normal kidney function and no surgical complications to date.