Oscar Larrainzar, 41, lost most of his bladder after undergoing treatment for a rare type of bladder cancer called urachal adenocarcinoma. A previous surgery to remove the tumor left him with a bladder that could hold only a tenth of its normal capacity.
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Years of dialysis for end-stage kidney disease further complicated his condition, making traditional reconstruction methods unviable and leaving him in urgent need of a transplant.
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Earlier in May, surgeons from UCLA and USC performed the world’s first human bladder transplant on Larrainzar. During the same procedure, they also gave him a new kidney.
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Just days after the transplant, Oscar was able to urinate for the first time in seven years.
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h/t: The New York Times
Photos: Keck Medicine of USC
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