In a new procedure, Spanish doctors have successfully transplanted a bronchial tube into a patient. The windpipe was treated with the patient’s own stem cells to help avoid organ rejection.
Writing in The Lancet, the doctors outlined the importance of the operation and what it could spell for the future of organ donation.
“We think that this first experience represents a milestone in medicine and hope that it will unlock the door for a safe and recipient-tailored transplantation of the airway in adults and children.”
Damage in the airways is difficult to treat, and all previous grafts of over 6cm have failed. As this graft was 7cm long, the results are encouraging.
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Date Published: November 19, 2008
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