A novel technique for en bloc, vascularized, composite thymic, and cardiac co-transplantation1.
BACKGROUND
A surgical technique for co-transplantation of fully vascularized thymus and heart potentially applicable to the clinical setting has not been developed and is the subject of this article.


METHODS
Vascularized right lobe of the thymus was transplanted heterotopically with the heart as a composite graft in rats. This co-transplantation technique was developed and assessed, and viability of the grafted thymus was evaluated histologically.


RESULTS
Surgical mortality was identical to isolated heart transplantation, and all grafted hearts functioned well. Histology of the thymic grafts at explantation revealed viable thymus with preservation of normal thymic microarchitecture.


CONCLUSIONS
We developed a novel technique to create a composite graft in which fully vascularized and viable thymus was harvested en bloc and co-transplanted with a donor heart allograft.
Division of Cardiac Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston 02114-2696, USA.
Hiroshi
H
Ohuchi
Joren C
JC
Madsen
Siyamek
S
Neragi-Miandoab
Gus J
GJ
Vlahakes
D000818:Animals; D006085:Graft Survival / Q000502:physiology*; D016027:Heart Transplantation / Q000379:methods* / Q000473:pathology; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000098:blood supply / Q000473:pathology / Q000637:transplantation*; D013997:Time Factors; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous / Q000379:methods* / Q000473:pathology