Surgeons at UZ Leuven have developed a new transplant technique in which they use strong connective tissue from the abdominal wall of deceased donors to repair complex tissue defects, the hospital announced in a press release.
The donor tissue provides a biological alternative to synthetic meshes and tissue of animal origin.
According to UZ Leuven, this represents a double world first. For the first time, abdominal wall transplants are being carried out without patients having to take immunosuppressant medication for the rest of their lives.
Furthermore, the donor tissue is being used for the first time for complex reconstructions in the chest, including the diaphragm, the pericardium and the chest wall. The results have been published in the scientific journals Annals of Surgery and The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery.
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For large wounds in the abdominal wall, chest wall or diaphragm, doctors usually use synthetic meshes. These can cause serious problems in infected wounds. That is why UZ Leuven uses the rectus fascia, the strong connective tissue surrounding the rectus abdominis muscles.
This tissue integrates into the recipient’s body after the operation, can be stored for up to a month and does not require a matching blood group. To date, more than 80 such transplants have been carried out at the hospital.
"The discovery that we can also use this tissue for defects in virtually any part of the body opens up new possibilities in medicine," said thoracic and transplant surgeon and coordinator Laurens Ceulemans.
The technique has also already been applied to injuries that are difficult to reconstruct, including those in the pelvic region.
Research is now focusing on potential applications for congenital diaphragmatic hernias in children and in pelvic floor surgery. Ceulemans presented the results at the European Surgical Association congress in Rome, where he was awarded first prize.
Through international collaborations, UZ Leuven also aims to teach the technique to other hospitals. This autumn, the hospital will become the first in Belgium to reach the milestone of 10,000 transplants since 1963.
