Transplantation behind the Iron Curtain--a short historical note on the 20th anniversary.
This article is dedicated to the memory of the pioneers of solid organ transplantation 20 yr after the Iron Curtain was demolished and Eastern European countries joined the free world. Despite the special political and medical conditions that existed, the evolution of transplantation could proceed following Western trends. With the formation of Intertransplant, kidney transplantation was formalized, and a limited organ exchange could be realized. The transplantation of non-renal organs was rather sporadic until 1989. This paper summarizes the efforts in transplantation in Eastern Europe during this period of tension with the West.
Langer
Robert M
RM
Department of Transplantation and Surgery, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary. roblanger@hotmail.com
D005061:Europe, Eastern; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D016377:Organ Transplantation / Q000266:history*; D020858:Tissue and Organ Harvesting / Q000266:history*; D009927:Tissue and Organ Procurement / Q000266:history*