Current status of vascularized composite tissue allotransplantation.
Vascularized composite tissue allotransplantation (VCA) offers treatment options of complex functional deficiencies that cannot be repaired with conventional reconstructive methods. VCAs consist of blocks of functional units comprising different tissue types such as skin, bone, muscle, nerves, blood vessels, tendons, ligaments and others, and are thus substantially different from the composition of organ transplants. The field of VCA has made fascinating progresses in the recent past. Among other VCAs, numerous successful hand, face and limb transplants have been performed in the world. At the same time, specific questions in regard to innate and adaptive immunity, consequences of ischemia/reperfusion injury, immunosuppression, preservation, and regenerative capacity remain. In spite of this, the field is poised to make significant advances in the near future.
Division of Transplant Surgery and Laboratory of Transplant Surgery Research, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 75 Francis St, Boston, Massachusetts 02115 USA ; Department of Surgery, University Hospital Regensburg, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany.
Karoline
K
Edtinger
Division of Transplant Surgery and Laboratory of Transplant Surgery Research, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 75 Francis St, Boston, Massachusetts 02115 USA ; Division of Urology, Bejing Chao-Yang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Bejing, China.
Xiaoyong
X
Yang
Division of Transplant Surgery and Laboratory of Transplant Surgery Research, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 75 Francis St, Boston, Massachusetts 02115 USA ; Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Osaka Medical College, Takatsuki, Osaka, Japan.
Hanae
H
Uehara
Division of Transplant Surgery and Laboratory of Transplant Surgery Research, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 75 Francis St, Boston, Massachusetts 02115 USA.
Stefan G
SG
Tullius
Face transplantation; composite tissue transplantation; hand transplantation; immunosuppression