[Sportschosun Jang Jong-ho] Soonchunhyang University Cheonan Hospital, led by Director Lee Moon-soo, recently demonstrated its advanced organ transplantation capabilities by successfully transplanting a donor kidney measuring only about 6 cm in length from an infant donor into a patient with end-stage renal failure.
The case has drawn major attention in the medical community because both kidneys from the donor, each only about half the size of an adult kidney, were transplanted at the same time.
The donor was an infant brain-dead organ donor from Jeju. After the hospital's transplant team confirmed the donation through the National Institute of Organ, Tissue and Blood Management in June, it quickly traveled to Jeju. To minimize the ischemic time of the retrieved kidneys, the team promptly transported them back to Cheonan and carried out a successful transplant operation.
The surgery was led by Professor Lee Hyun-yong of the Department of Surgery, with Professors Bae Sang-ho, Kim Hye-young, Jeong Hae-il, Kim Young-gil, and Seo Seung-hee also taking part. The team built a close cooperative system covering everything from organ retrieval to transplantation and postoperative care.
The biggest challenge was the tiny kidney, measuring about 6 cm, and its extremely delicate blood vessels. Before surgery, the medical team carefully analyzed the size of the donor organ and the condition of its vessels to establish a transplant strategy. They then secured stable blood flow through highly advanced microvascular anastomosis.
Thanks to the transplant team's skilled technique, the operation was completed successfully. With continued coordinated care afterward, kidney function recovered steadily, and the patient was discharged in good health at the end of June.
Bae Sang-ho, head of the Organ Transplant Center and a surgeon, said, "Transplanting a donor kidney that is about half the size of an adult kidney is a highly difficult operation because the blood vessels are extremely thin and even the smallest error is not allowed." He added, "The transplant team's extensive experience and multidisciplinary cooperation led to a good outcome."
Director Lee Moon-soo said, "This is a valuable result made possible by the noble gift of life from the organ donor and the expertise of our medical staff." He added, "We will continue to strengthen our advanced organ transplantation capabilities so that transplant patients in the region can receive high-quality treatment close to home."
Meanwhile, the Organ Transplant Center at Soonchunhyang University Cheonan Hospital has accumulated extensive clinical experience in kidney transplantation and other organ transplant fields since becoming the first in the region to perform a kidney transplant in the 1990s. It continues to lead organ transplantation in the Chungcheong region.
Jang Jong-ho, reporter, bellho@sportschosun.com
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
