Abstract des Autors

Transplanted organs are denervated organs. Denervation concerns the autonomous nervous system (ANS) which influences the functioning of nearly all organ systems. The ANS acts via autonomous reflexes to maintain homeostasis of the internal environment. Whether or not reinnervation is possible is a controversial issue, and contradictory data regularly appear in the literature. This brief review is mainly focused on heart transplantation and aims to summarize such a controversy. Presently, most of the organ grafts concern the heart, heart and lungs, liver, kidney as well as kidney and pancreas. Nevertheless most studies which investigate graft reinnervation concern the heart which is not surprising because of the major role of the ANS in the physiological regulation of the cardiovascular system. In addition, studies on the ANS are easier to do in the cardiovascular system because of the availability of techniques such as Holter monitoring and blood pressure monitoring to investigate noninvasively the activity of the ANS. Verf.-Referat