UCLA surgeons perform world’s first bladder transplant

Editor's Note

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and University of Southern California (USC) surgeons have completed the world’s first human bladder transplant, marking a new milestone in organ transplantation and paving the way to for treating debilitating bladder conditions previously considered irreversible.

As detailed in a May 18 announcement from UCLA, the groundbreaking surgical procedure took place on May 4 at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center and was led by Dr Nima Nassiri of UCLA and Dr Inderbir Gill of USC, who spent years developing the technique. The 41-year-old patient had lost most of his bladder and both kidneys due to cancer and disease and had been on dialysis for 7 years. During the 8-hour procedure, surgeons transplanted a donor kidney and bladder, then connected the kidney to the new bladder using their custom-designed technique.

The kidney began functioning immediately, producing urine that successfully drained into the transplanted bladder, UCLA reports. The patient no longer needed dialysis post-surgery and was recovering well, with stable results to date. Despite the success, the long-term viability of the bladder graft and the appropriate level of immunosuppression remain open questions.

The outlet reports that prior to this first-in-human surgery, the team completed multiple practice procedures—including robotic and nonrobotic retrievals—to perfect the technique. Bladder transplantation has long been avoided due to the complexity of pelvic vasculature and surgical difficulty. Instead, patients typically receive intestinal reconstructions, which carry risks like infection and digestive issues. Drs Nassiri and Gill argue that true bladder transplants may offer a more natural and safer alternative.

The surgery was part of a UCLA clinical trial designed by the lead surgeons, who plan to expand the procedure to more patients. According to the announcement, UCLA’s integrated kidney transplant and urology program made the institution uniquely suited to host the procedure, providing comprehensive infrastructure and care throughout the process.