Why is it impossible to transplant a bladder? It seems strange to me that a heart can be transplanted and a bladder can’t.

Question

Why is it impossible to transplant a bladder? It seems strange to me that a heart can be transplanted and a bladder can’t.

In: Biology

Answer 1

The most common types of infection in otherwise health adults are bladder infections. We don’t transplant bladders BC it is already prone to infection, the surgery will increase infection risk (kinking of ureters/scar tissue) and then we are going to give immunosuppressive drugs which will increase the risk of infection even more! Plus the drugs have side effects that lower kidney function, diabetes, on top of immune suppression.

This is why we make bladder conduits from small bowel. No immunosuppressive drugs, still gets complicated by infection occasionally.