Vaginal transplantation

Vaginal transplantation is procedure whereby donated or laboratory-grown vagina tissue is used to create a 'neovagina'. It is most often used in women who have vaginal aplasia (the congenital absence of a vagina).

## Contents

* 1 Background
* 2 Donor technique
* 3 Laboratory-grown technique
* 4 References

## Background

Vaginal aplasia is a rare medical condition in which the vagina does not form properly before birth. Those with the condition may have a partially formed vagina, or none at all. The condition is typically treated by reconstructive surgery. First a space is surgically created where the vagina would typically exist. Then tissue from another part of the body is harvested, molded into the shape of a vagina, and grafted into the vagina cavity. This technique has significant drawbacks. Typically, the implanted tissue does not function normally as a muscle, which can lead to low enjoyment of sexual intercourse. Additionally, stenosis (narrowing of the cavity) can occur over time.[1] Most women require multiple surgeries before a satisfactory result is achieved.[2] An alternative to traditional reconstructive surgery is transplantation.

## Donor technique

In a handful of cases, a woman with vaginal aplasia has received a successful vagina transplant donated by her mother.[3] The first such case is believed to have occurred in 1970, with no signs of rejection taking place after three years.[4] In at least one case, a woman who received such a transplant was able to conceive and give birth.[5] In 1981, a 12-year-old girl with vaginal aplasia received a vaginal wall implant from her mother. She became sexually active seven years later, without incident. At age 24, she conceived and carried a child to term. The child was born via cesarean section.[6]

## Laboratory-grown technique

In April 2014, a team of scientists led by Anthony Atala reported that they had successfully transplanted laboratory-grown vaginas into four female teenaged girls with a rare medical condition called Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser syndrome that causes the vagina to develop improperly, or sometimes not at all.[7] Between 1 of 1,500 to 4,000 females are born with this condition.[1]

The four patients began treatment between May 2005 and August 2008.[1] In each case, the medical research team began by taking a small sample of genital tissue from the teenager's vulva.[8] The sample was used as a seed to grow additional tissue in the lab which was then placed in a vaginal shaped, biodegradable mold.[7] Vaginal-lining cells were placed on the inside of the tube, while muscle cells were attached to the outside.[8] Five to six weeks later, the structure was implanted into the patients, where the tissue continued to grow and connected with the girls' circulatory and other bodily systems.[1][7] After about eight years, all four patients reported normal function and pleasure levels during sexual intercourse according to the Female Sexual Function Index questionnaire, a validated self-report tool. No adverse results or complications were reported.[1]

In two of the four women, the vagina was attached to the uterus, making pregnancy possible. No pregnancies were reported, however, during the study period. Martin Birchall, who works on tissue engineering, but was not involved in the study, said it "addressed some of the most important questions facing translation of tissue engineering technologies."[8] Commentary published by the National Health Service (NHS) called the study "an important proof of concept" and said it showed that tissue engineering had "a great deal of potential."[1] However, the NHS also cautioned that the sample size was very small and further research was necessary to determine the general viability of the technique.[1]

The laboratory-grown autologous transplant technique could also be used on women who want reconstructive surgery due to cancer or other disease once the technique is perfected.[7] However, more studies will need to be conducted and the techniques further developed before commercial production can begin.[8]

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Bazian (April 11, 2014). "Lab-grown vaginas successfully implanted". NHS (UK). http://www.nhs.uk/news/2014/04April/Pages/Lab-grown-vaginas-successfully-implanted.aspx.
2. ↑ Melissa C. Davies; Sarah M. Creighton; Christopher R.J. Woodhouse (June 2005). "The pitfalls of vaginal construction". BJU International 95 (9): 1293–98. doi:10.1111/j.1464-410x.2005.05522.x. PMID 15892820.
3. ↑ G Belleannée; J L Brun; H Trouette; J P Mompart; J F Goussot; G Brun; A de Mascarel (July–August 1998). "Cytologic Findings in a Neovagina Created with Vecchietti's Technique for Treating Vaginal Aplasia". Acta Cytol 42 (4): 945–8. doi:10.1159/000331973. PMID 9684582.
4. ↑ Dennis Sanders (1982). The First of Everything. p. 117. ISBN 9780440524229. https://books.google.com/books?id=iUvex9o-H9IC.
5. ↑ Atef M.M. Darwish (June 2010). "Fine needle vaginoplasty: a simplified novel approach for correction of vaginal aplasia". Fertility and Sterility 94 (1): 309–312. doi:10.1016/j.fertnstert.2009.02.006. PMID 19344896.
6. ↑ Prapas; Papanicolaou; Prapas; Goutzioulis; Papanicolaou (1993). "Term pregnancy after vaginal transplantation in a case of vaginal agenesis with a functional uterus". Acta Europaea Fertilitatis 24 (2): 77–78. PMID 8171927.
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Kim Painter (April 11, 2014). "Lab-grown vaginas and nostrils work, doctors report". USA Today. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/04/11/lab-grown-vaginas-nostrils/7588729/.
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 James Gallagher (April 10, 2014). "Doctors implant lab-grown vagina". BBC. https://www.bbc.com/news/health-26885335.

* v
* t
* e

Organ transplantation

Types|

* Allotransplantation
* ABOi
* Autotransplantation
* Xenotransplantation

Organs and tissues|

* Bone
* Bone marrow
* Brain
* Corneal
* Face
* Hand
* Head
* Heart
* Heart–lung
* Intestine
* Kidney
* Liver
* Living donor
* Lung
* Pancreas
* Islet cell
* Penis
* Skin
* Spleen
* Testicle
* Thymus
* Uterus
* Vagina

Medical grafting|

* Bone grafting
* Skin grafting
* Vascular grafting

Organ donation|

* Non-heart-beating donation
* Organ harvesting
* Organ trade

Complications|

* Graft-versus-host disease
* Post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder
* Transplant rejection

Transplant networks
and government departments|

* Balttransplant
* BC Transplant Society
* Eurotransplant
* Gift of Life Marrow Registry
* Human Tissue Authority
* LifeSharers
* National Marrow Donor Program
* NOD-Lb
* National Transplant Organization
* NHS Blood and Transplant
* Scandiatransplant
* Trillium Gift of Life Network
* United Network for Organ Sharing

Advocacy organizations|

* Anthony Nolan
* Bloodwise
* DKMS
* Donate Life America
* Halachic Organ Donor Society
* Kidney Foundation of Canada
* National Kidney Foundation
* ORGANIZE

Joint societies|

* American Society of Nephrology
* American Society of Transplantation
* Canadian Society of Transplantation

Countries|

* Organ transplantation in different countries
* Organ transplantation in China
* Organ transplantation in Israel
* Organ transplantation in Japan
* Gurgaon kidney scandal

People|

| Heart|

* Christiaan Barnard
* James D. Hardy
* Adrian Kantrowitz
* Richard Lower
* Norman Shumway

|

Kidney|

* J. Hartwell Harrison
* John P. Merrill
* Joseph Murray
* Michael Woodruff

Liver|

* Fikri Alican
* James D. Hardy
* Thomas Starzl

Lung|

* Fikri Alican
* Joel D. Cooper
* Vladimir Demikhov
* James D. Hardy

Pancreas|

* Richard C. Lillehei

Penis|

* André van der Merwe

Other|

* Alexis Carrel
* Jean-Michel Dubernard
* Donna Mansell
* Bruce Reitz

* List of organ transplant donors and recipients

Related topics|

* Biomedical tissue
* Edmonton protocol
* Eye bank
* Immunosuppressive drugs
* Lung allocation score
* Machine perfusion
* Total body irradiation
* Frankenstein's monster

* v
* t
* e

Female genital surgical and other procedures (gynecological surgery) (ICD-9-CM V3 65–71, ICD-10-PCS 0U)

Adnexa|

| Ovaries|

* Oophorectomy
* Salpingoophorectomy

|

Fallopian tubes|

* Falloposcopy
* Salpingectomy
* Tubal ligation
* Essure
* Tubal reversal

Uterus|

| General:|

* Genitoplasty
* Hysterectomy
* Hysterotomy
* Pelvic exenteration
* Uterine artery embolization
* Transplantation

|

Uterine cavity:|

* Hysteroscopy
* Vacuum aspiration

Endometrium:|

* Endometrial biopsy
* Endometrial ablation

Myometrium:|

* Uterine myomectomy

Cervix:|

* Colposcopy
* Cervical conization
* LEEP
* Cervical cerclage
* Cervical screening (pap test)
* Cervicectomy
* Pessary insertion

Vagina|

* Vaginectomy
* Culdoscopy
* Culdocentesis
* Episiotomy
* husband stitch
* Hymenotomy
* Colpocleisis
* Hymenorrhaphy
* Vaginal wet mount
* Vaginal transplantation

Vulva|

* Vulvectomy
* Female genital mutilation
* Labiaplasty
* Clitoral hood reduction
* Vestibulectomy

Medical imaging|

* Gynecologic ultrasonography
* Hysterosalpingography

0.00

(0 votes)

Original source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaginal transplantation. Read more

|

Retrieved from "https://handwiki.org/wiki/index.php?title=Medicine:Vaginal_transplantation&oldid=4170268"
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template