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Pittman J, Abbott J, Cavazzoni E, Pleass H, Brännstrom M, Rogers N, Deans R. Deceased donor availability for uterus transplantation in Australia. Aust N Z J Obstet Gynaecol 2023; 63:780-785. [PMID: 37395604 DOI: 10.1111/ajo.13722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2023] [Accepted: 06/01/2023] [Indexed: 07/04/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Uterus transplantation is an emerging treatment option for uterine factor infertility. Most uterus transplantation research programs use living donors, although this comes with considerable surgical and psychological risks and not all women desiring uterus transplantation will have an available living donor. A deceased donor program eliminates donor risks; however, the availability of deceased uterus donors is currently unknown in Australia. AIMS To establish the feasibility of a deceased donor uterus transplantation program in Australia and consider expanded inclusion criteria for this model. MATERIALS AND METHODS A retrospective review of the New South Wales (NSW) Organ and Tissue Donation Service database was undertaken to identify potential deceased uterus donors, with comparison to the broad deceased donor inclusion criteria from three international uterus transplantation trials including female, brain-dead, multi-organ donation, no major abdominal surgery, and <60 years of age. RESULTS Between January 1, 2018, and December 31, 2022, 648 deceased donors were available in NSW. Of these, 43% (279/648) were female and 67% of the women (187/279) were also multi-organ donors. When the brain-dead donor-only and age criteria (<60 years) were applied, a total of 107 deceased donors met the available criteria for uterus transplantation, with an average of 21 deceased donors per year in NSW. CONCLUSIONS There appears to be adequate deceased donor organ availability to establish a deceased uterus transplantation program in NSW, Australia. Should interest in uterus transplantation increase, including criteria such as older and nulliparous donors could increase organ availability for a uterus transplantation program.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jana Pittman
- School of Clinical Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- The Royal Hospital for Women, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Jason Abbott
- School of Clinical Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- The Royal Hospital for Women, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Elena Cavazzoni
- The Children's Hospital Westmead, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Henry Pleass
- Westmead Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Mats Brännstrom
- Departments of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | | | - Rebecca Deans
- School of Clinical Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- The Royal Hospital for Women, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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Hunter SA, Feldman MK. Imaging of Uterine Transplantation. Radiol Clin North Am 2023; 61:889-899. [PMID: 37495295 DOI: 10.1016/j.rcl.2023.04.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/28/2023]
Abstract
Uterus transplantation (UTx) is a novel procedure being studied as a treatment of absolute uterine factor infertility. Imaging plays an important role throughout the life cycle of a uterus transplant. In this review, we will first describe the surgical technique of UTx. The article will then focus on the importance of imaging in the evaluation of potential recipients and donors and during the immediate post-surgical time course as graft viability is established. Imaging as part of including in vitro fertilization, pregnancy, and complications will also be discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara A Hunter
- Section of Abdominal Imaging, Imaging Institute, Cleveland Clinic, 9500 Euclid Avenue, L-10, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA
| | - Myra K Feldman
- Section of Abdominal Imaging, Imaging Institute, Cleveland Clinic, 9500 Euclid Avenue, A-21, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA.
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Graft Failure after Uterus Transplantation in 16 Recipients: A Review. J Clin Med 2023; 12:jcm12052032. [PMID: 36902818 PMCID: PMC10003853 DOI: 10.3390/jcm12052032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2023] [Revised: 02/26/2023] [Accepted: 03/02/2023] [Indexed: 03/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Uterus transplantation (UTx) is now an alternative to surrogacy and adoption for women with uterine factor infertility to have children; however, there are still unresolved clinical and technical issues. One of these is that the graft failure rate after transplantation is somewhat higher than that of other life-saving organ transplants, which is a critical concern. Herein, we summarize the details of 16 graft failures after UTx with living or deceased donors using the published literature in order to learn from these negative outcomes. To date, the main causes of graft failure are vascular factors (arterial and/or venous thrombosis, atherosclerosis, and poor perfusion). Many recipients with thrombosis develop graft failure within one month of surgery. Therefore, it is necessary to devise a safe and stable surgical technique with higher success rates for further development in the UTx field.
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Escandón JM, Bustos VP, Santamaría E, Langstein HN, Ciudad P, Hernandez-Alejandro R, Moore RG, Leckenby JI, Manrique OJ. Evolution and Transformation of Uterine Transplantation: A Systematic Review of Surgical Techniques and Outcomes. J Reconstr Microsurg 2021; 38:429-440. [PMID: 34535036 DOI: 10.1055/s-0041-1735261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Uterine transplantation (UTx) is acknowledged to be on the second (2A) of five steps of development in accordance with the staging system for the evaluation of surgical innovations. Accordingly, we aimed to systematically review the available evidence of the surgical techniques and outcomes of UTx in terms of graft survival. METHODS A comprehensive search was conducted across PubMed Medline, Cochrane-EBMR, Scopus, Web of Science, and CENTRAL through November 2020. RESULTS Forty studies, reporting 64 recipients and 64 donors, satisfied inclusion criteria. The surgical time and the estimated blood loss were 515 minutes and 679 mL for graft procurement via laparotomy, 210 minutes and 100 mL for laparoscopic-assisted graft harvest, and 660 minutes and 173 mL for robotic-assisted procedures, respectively. Urinary tract infections (n = 8) and injury to the urinary system (n = 6) were the most common donor complications. Using the donor's internal iliac system, two arterial anastomoses were performed in all cases. Venous outflow was accomplished through the uterine veins (UVs) in 13 cases, a combination of the UVs and the ovarian/uteroovarian veins (OVs/UOVs) in 36 cases, and solely through the OVs/UOVs in 13 cases. Ischemia time was 161 and 258 minutes when using living donors (LD) and deceased donors (DD), respectively. Forty-eight uteri were successfully transplanted or fulfilled the purpose of transplantation, 41 from LDs and 7 from DDs. Twenty-five and four live childbirths from LDs and DDs have been reported, respectively. CONCLUSION UTx is still experimental. Further series are required to recommend specific surgical techniques that best yield a successful transplant and reduce complications for donors and recipients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph M Escandón
- Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Strong Memorial Hospital, University of Rochester Medical Center, New York
| | - Valeria P Bustos
- Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Eric Santamaría
- Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Hospital General Dr. Manuel Gea Gonzalez, National Cancer Institute, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Howard N Langstein
- Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Strong Memorial Hospital, University of Rochester Medical Center, New York
| | - Pedro Ciudad
- Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Burn Surgery, Arzobispo Loayza National Hospital, Lima, Peru
| | - Roberto Hernandez-Alejandro
- Department of Surgery and Division of Abdominal Transplantation and Hepatobiliary Surgery, Strong Memorial Hospital, University of Rochester Medical Center, New York
| | - Richard G Moore
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Strong Memorial Hospital, University of Rochester Medical Center, New York
| | - Jonathan I Leckenby
- Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Strong Memorial Hospital, University of Rochester Medical Center, New York
| | - Oscar J Manrique
- Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Strong Memorial Hospital, University of Rochester Medical Center, New York
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Richards EG, Farrell RM, Ricci S, Perni U, Quintini C, Tzakis A, Falcone T. Uterus transplantation: state of the art in 2021. J Assist Reprod Genet 2021; 38:2251-2259. [PMID: 34057644 PMCID: PMC8490545 DOI: 10.1007/s10815-021-02245-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2021] [Accepted: 05/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE To provide a comprehensive review of uterus transplantation in 2021, including a discussion of pregnancy outcomes of all reported births to date, the donor and recipient selection process, the organ procurement and transplant surgeries, reported complications, postoperative monitoring, preimplantation preparation, and ethical considerations. METHODS Literature review and expert commentary. RESULTS Reports of thirty-one live births following uterus transplantation have been published from both living and deceased donors. The proper selection of donors and recipients is a labor-intensive process that requires advanced planning. A multidisciplinary team is critical. Reported complications in the recipient include thrombosis, infection, vaginal stricture, antenatal complications, and graft failure. Graft rejection is a common occurrence but rarely leads to graft removal. While most embryo transfers are successful, recurrent implantation failures in uterus transplant patients have been reported. Rates of preterm delivery are high but appear to be declining; more data, including long-term outcome data, is needed. CONCLUSIONS Uterus transplantation is an emerging therapy for absolute uterine factor infertility, a condition previously without direct treatment options. It is paramount that reproductive health care providers are familiar with the uterus transplantation process as more patients seek and receive this treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elliott G Richards
- Obstetrics and Gynecology and Women's Health Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Desk A-81, 9500 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH, 44195, USA
| | - Ruth M Farrell
- Obstetrics and Gynecology and Women's Health Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Desk A-81, 9500 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH, 44195, USA
| | - Stephanie Ricci
- Obstetrics and Gynecology and Women's Health Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Desk A-81, 9500 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH, 44195, USA
| | - Uma Perni
- Obstetrics and Gynecology and Women's Health Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Desk A-81, 9500 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH, 44195, USA
| | - Cristiano Quintini
- Digestive Disease and Surgery Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Andreas Tzakis
- Digestive Disease and Surgery Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Tommaso Falcone
- Obstetrics and Gynecology and Women's Health Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Desk A-81, 9500 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH, 44195, USA.
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Abstract
PURPOSE To provide a comprehensive review of uterus transplantation in 2021, including a discussion of pregnancy outcomes of all reported births to date, the donor and recipient selection process, the organ procurement and transplant surgeries, reported complications, postoperative monitoring, preimplantation preparation, and ethical considerations. METHODS Literature review and expert commentary. RESULTS Reports of thirty-one live births following uterus transplantation have been published from both living and deceased donors. The proper selection of donors and recipients is a labor-intensive process that requires advanced planning. A multidisciplinary team is critical. Reported complications in the recipient include thrombosis, infection, vaginal stricture, antenatal complications, and graft failure. Graft rejection is a common occurrence but rarely leads to graft removal. While most embryo transfers are successful, recurrent implantation failures in uterus transplant patients have been reported. Rates of preterm delivery are high but appear to be declining; more data, including long-term outcome data, is needed. CONCLUSIONS Uterus transplantation is an emerging therapy for absolute uterine factor infertility, a condition previously without direct treatment options. It is paramount that reproductive health care providers are familiar with the uterus transplantation process as more patients seek and receive this treatment.
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