The Cliniques Saint-Luc have achieved a world first with a groundbreaking transplant that offers great hope for certain patients.
The Transplant Centre at Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc has performed an innovative liver transplant on a 48-year-old patient with colorectal liver metastases. For the first time, this procedure was made possible thanks to a partial transplant from a deceased donor.
This achievement opens up new medical possibilities, as liver transplants suffer from a shortage of donors and the use of organs from non-beating heart donors was previously considered too risky due to potential damage caused by the interruption of blood flow.
In this case, Belgian surgeons placed the harvested liver in a hypothermic oxygenated perfusion machine to preserve its quality. Then, using a technique designed to stimulate its growth, the graft was able to reach a sufficient volume to allow the diseased liver to be removed about ten days later.
Fifteen months after the transplant, the patient shows no signs of rejection or major complications.
This world first is therefore a great source of hope for many patients!
Source: Focus on Belgium
