Boy's Segmented Lung Transplant Succeeds

[Fr Pat]

from "Japan News", Sept. 26, 2014:
     OKAYAMA (Jiji Press)--- Okayama University Hospital said Wednesday it succeeded in dividing part of the left lung of a mother into smaller segments and transplanting them into both lungs of her 2-year-old boy.
     It was the first time in the world that a lung transplant using a segment, or the smallest functional unit, has ended in success, according to the Okayama hospital.
     The boy, who is two years and nine months old, became the youngest live-donor lung transplant recipient in the nation.  He and his mother are from Saitama Prefecture.
     He needed a lung transplant after developing idiopathic interstitial pneumonia in late April.
     The surgery conducted on Aug. 31 took about 11 hours.  After removing and dividing the inferior lobe of the mother's left lung, segments were transplanted to both lungs of the boy. He no longer needs a ventilator.
     The human right lung is composed of upper, middle and lower lobes, and the left lung has upper and lower lobes.  In regular operations, one of them is transplanted.
     Because even the smallest middle lobe is large for an infant lung, transplants have been difficult.
     Takahiro Oto performed the surgery, and said he believes the success will offer a ray of hope for children who have been unable to have transplants.
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Contributor's note: I was unable to copy the diagram accompanying the article. It shows that the lower lobe of the mother's left lung was removed and divided into 4 segments. The upper segment became the left lung of the boy. The three other segments were joined to form a right lung for the boy.