Abstract
Objective: Uterus transplantation (UTx) provides a available treatment for women with absolute uterus-related infertility. The aim of this study was to develop surgical techniques for UTx and to observe the long-term graft survival in the swines. Materials and Methods: Ten female swines received uterus auto-transplantation surgery after general anesthesia. The operative time, ischemic time, and vascular injury in each swine were recorded. The bicornual uterus with vaginal canal and main vessel were removed, bake-table preparation was performed with cooled at 4°C, and perfused with heparin saline with continuous flushing. The uterus was placed in original pelvic position. The uterus arteries and veins were end-side anastomosed with external iliac arteries and veins in the host swines. Results: One case was randomly selected as the preliminary experiment. The remaining nine cases showed that the uterine arteries and veins were anastomosed successfully and only eight cases attained long-term survival. The host in another case died four days after surgery from suspicious embolism postoperation. The blood flow of uterus arteries was observed by Doppler ultrasonography at four days after the operation and no congestion was found. The second-look laparotomy at six months after surgical was subsequently performed and the uterus showed a normal morphology and size. However, the pregnancy was unsuccessful due to the shorter observation time, and the severe adhesion and tubal obstruction after surgery may have affected pregnancy of those swines. Conclusion: These preliminary experiences suggest that the uterine auto-transplantation using the end-side vascular anastomosed method is feasible. The accumulation of basic data and experiences from swine experiments can provide important guidance for establishment of UTx in humans.
Highlights
With the progress of assisted reproductive technology (ART), more and more infertility patients receive effective treatment
Leiomyoma is likely to be the most frequent cause of the benign tumor, and the incidence of leiomyoma in the reproductive-aged women is as high as 10% [8]
Surgical parameters result: The uterine auto-transplantations of the ten swines were performed at different times in the animal laboratory of the PLA general hospital
Summary
With the progress of assisted reproductive technology (ART), more and more infertility patients receive effective treatment. These patients with absolute uterine factor infertility (UFI) remain untreatable. Leiomyoma is likely to be the most frequent cause of the benign tumor, and the incidence of leiomyoma in the reproductive-aged women is as high as 10% [8]. These women could not deliver a child and resort to gestational surrogacy. Gestational surrogacy is Revised manuscript accepted for publication July 20, 2017
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: Clinical and Experimental Obstetrics & Gynecology
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
