The techniques and reasons for performing other types of organ transplant procedures vary widely.

• Bone marrow transplants –Bone marrow transplantation (BMT) can treat diseases once considered incurable, especially many types of cancer. Bone marrow is a spongy tissue found inside bones and contains stem cells that produce the body’s blood cells. Replacing diseased bone marrow with healthy marrow can put cancer into remission.
  
• Stem cell transplants – Like BMT, stem cell transplants can treat diseases once considered incurable. Stem cells have the potential to develop into many different cell types in the body and serve as a sort of repair system for the body. When a stem cell divides, each new cell has the potential to either remain a stem cell or become another type of cell with a more specialized function, such as a muscle cell, a red blood cell, or a brain cell. Replacing diseased stem cells can put cancer into remission.
  
• Bone transplants – Bone transplants in adults and children can be performed because of trauma, birth deformities, and cancer. The transplants can fill in defects, replace loose bone, and help with structural support. Bones for transplantation come from cadaver donors.
  
• Skin transplants – Most skin transplants involve taking skin from one site on the recipient’s body and grafting it onto an injured site, which avoids problems with rejection. However, in cases where a large amount of skin is needed, such as in burn victims, skin from donors is used. Donated skin can provide temporary protection from infection while new skin grows. By the time the skin graft is rejected, new skin is present.
• Cornea transplants – The cornea is the transparent front covering of the eye and is necessary for vision. Cornea transplants are performed to replace corneas that have become cloudy as a complication from cataracts, scarred after an injury, or require replacement because of birth defects. Cornea transplants often are very successful. The corneas used in transplantation come from cadaver donors.

You can read more general information about organ transplantation at Yale Medical Group’s health information site.

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