Chapter 42 - Conclusions

Summary

This is the concluding chapter of the book Organ Transplantation, which has considered the most commonly transplanted tissues and solid organs, yet much research continues in the cell laboratory, in animal models, and in early human clinical studies. It outlines uterus transplantation, ovary transplantation, thymus transplantation, cardiac valves and vessels and cell-based therapies. Experimental animal studies have established the feasibility of uterus transplant, including donor retrieval techniques, cold ischemic tolerance of greater than 24 hours, and the surgical implant procedure, although problems remain with vascular anastomosis and thrombosis. Research in ovary transplantation was largely taken over by the successes of in vitro fertilization and uterine implantation. Thymus transplantation has been used to treat the rare condition of complete athymia in Di George syndrome. A number of stem cell therapeutics exist, but most are at experimental stages.