Introduction
This topic introduces transplantology, the field that replaces failing tissues or organs with healthy ones. It covers the core terminology, the classification of grafts by source and position, the immunological basis of graft acceptance and rejection, and the general principles of donation, preservation and immunosuppression.
Definition and scope
Transplantation is the transfer of cells, tissues or organs from one site to another with the aim of restoring a lost function. The transferred material is the graft (transplant). The individual who provides it is the donor, and the individual who receives it is the recipient (host). Transplantology includes donor selection and evaluation, retrieval, preservation, matching, surgical implantation and long-term follow-up.
- Indications: end-stage organ failure in which no other treatment adequately restores function, such as end-stage renal disease, end-stage liver disease or terminal heart failure; and tissue loss, such as corneal opacity, extensive burns, bone defects or damaged vessels.
- A transplant replaces the failing organ but does not cure the underlying disease, which may recur in the graft in some conditions.
- Tissue transplantation (cornea, skin, bone, heart valves, blood vessels, fascia) and organ transplantation (kidney, liver, heart, lung, pancreas, intestine) differ in complexity, vascularisation and immunological demands.