A Brussels hospital has chalked up a “world first.”
Focus on Belgium reports that the Transplant Centre at Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc in Brussels has performed an innovative liver transplant on a 48-year-old patient with colorectal liver metastases.
It states that, “for the first time,” this procedure was made possible thanks to a partial transplant from a deceased donor.
Focus on Belgium says, “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.”
It goes on, “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,” it adds.
“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.”
- Focus on Belgiumis a website designed to present Belgium. It contains precise and factual information about various fields (geography, history, institutions, etc.). The website also presents a series of news articles, providing reliable and verifiable information from independent and recognised sources.
Focus on Belgium is a website created and managed by the Public Diplomacy Service of the Federal Public Service Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation.
