Breakthrough: Stem Cells Create New Windpipe |
First Time Ever Attempted |
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Editors published 12/22/2008 3:30:00 PM
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In June 2008, Claudia Castillo has first-ever windpipe surgery at the Hospital Clinic in Barcelona, Spain.
Her stem cells were used to create cartilage, tissue cells to cover her new windpipe.
Her operation, carried out in Spain in June this year, was one of the most exciting medical advances of 2008.
The breakthrough allowed Claudia to receive a new section of trachea -- an airway essential for breathing -- without the risk that her body would reject the transplant.
Scientists hope it could revolutionize transplants in the future.
After contracting tuberculosis in 2004, the mother-of-two was left with a damaged trachea, which led to severe breathing difficulties.
She suffered from agonizing bouts of coughing that sometimes left her feeling like she was suffocating.
Three months before the transplant, stem cells were removed from Claudia's nose and hip in preparation for the six-hour operation that would change her life.
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