Allogeneic vascularized grafting of a human knee joint with postoperative immunosuppression

In this paper we report the first successful allogeneic vascularized transplantation of a fresh and perfused human knee joint. A 17-year-old male had lost his knee in a motorvehicle accident. The graft was harvested from a multiorgan donor, perfused with 41 UW solution and transplanted within 21 h. Osteosyntheses were performed employing intramedullary nails. Immunosuppression was based mainly on two drugs: cyclosporin A and azathioprine. Five months after the operation the patient is fully mobilized, and the graft perfusion still intact. Osteotomies of the femur and tibia demonstrate callus formation and osseous consolidation.