Year: 2010
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Solid organ transplantation is during the past two decades the fi nest and most suitable treatment\nwith the best quality of life for patients with end stage organ failure. The fi rst documented\n‘unrelated’ kidney transplantation was performed on June 17, 1950 in Chicago, United States\non a 44-year-old woman with polycystic kidney disease2. Unfortunately, the donated kidney\nwas rejected because no adequate immunosuppressive therapy was available at the time and\nthe development of eff ective anti-rejection drugs was years away. The fi rst successful kidney\ntransplantation was performed on December 23rd in 1954 from one healthy identical twin to\nhis twin brother who was almost dying of renal disease3. The operation succeeded and renal\nfunction was restored in the recipient and resulted in enormous excitement in the media and\namong medical professionals. One decade further, the fi rst human liver transplantation was\nperformed in 1963 by a surgical team led by dr. Thomas Starzl4.\nThe discovery and availability of potent immunosuppressive drugs that were able to prevent\nrejection of the transplanted donor graft, was followed by an era of many successful solid organ\ntransplantations. The use of these immunosuppressive drugs resulted in acceptable graftsurvival\nrates in the Netherlands. The graft survival rate over 2007 was 94% after clinical kidney\ntransplantation with living donors, 85% after clinical kidney transplantation with deceased\ndonors and 76% after clinical liver transplantation (Nederlandse Transplantatie Stichting).\nNevertheless, acute rejection may occur in the fi rst 3 to 6 months after transplantation, but this\ncan be well treated with (steroid) anti-rejection therapy.
Author: Varsha D. K. D. Sewgobind
Language: English
Subfield: Transplantation
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W1497735443