Uterus transplantation (UTx) is now an alternative to surrogacy and adoption for women with uterine factor infertility to have children; however, there are still unresolved clinical and technical issues. One of these is that the graft failure rate after transplantation is somewhat higher than that of other life-saving organ transplants, which is a critical concern. Herein, we summarize the details of 16 graft failures after UTx with living or deceased donors using the published literature in order to learn from these negative outcomes. To date, the main causes of graft failure are vascular factors (arterial and/or venous thrombosis, atherosclerosis, and poor perfusion). Many recipients with thrombosis develop graft failure within one month of surgery. Therefore, it is necessary to devise a safe and stable surgical technique with higher success rates for further development in the UTx field.
Various vaginoplasty procedures have been developed for patients with Mayer–Rokitansky–Küster–Hauser (MRKH) syndrome. Here, we describe a novel laparoscopic vaginoplasty procedure, known as the Kisu modification, using a pull-down technique of the peritoneal flaps with additional structural support to the neovaginal apex using the incised uterine strand in patients with MRKH syndrome. Ten patients with MRKH syndrome (mean age at surgery: 23.9 ± 6.5 years, mean postoperative follow-up period: 17.3 ± 3.7 months) underwent construction of a neovagina via laparoscopic vaginoplasty. All surgeries were performed successfully without complications. The mean neovaginal length at discharge was 10.3 ± 0.5 cm. Anatomical success was achieved in all patients, as two fingers were easily introduced, the neovagina was epithelialized, and the mean neovaginal length was 10.1 ± 1.0 cm 1 year postoperatively. No obliteration, granulation tissue formation at the neovaginal apex, or neovaginal prolapse was recorded. Five of the 10 patients attempted sexual intercourse and all five patients were satisfied with the sexual activity, indicating functional success. Although the number of cases in this case series is few, our favorable experience suggests that the Kisu modification of laparoscopic vaginoplasty procedure is an effective, feasible, and safe approach for neovaginal creation in patients with MRKH syndrome.