Doctors perform 'near total' face transplant on woman in United States
<http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/3795851/Doctors-perform-near-total-face-transplant-on-woman-in-United-States.html>http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/3795851/Doctors-perform-near-total-face-transplant-on-woman-in-United-States.html Surgeons in the United States have carried out the most complete facial transplant yet performed with 80 per cent of the patient's face replaced. By Rebecca Smith, Medical Editor Last Updated: 9:50PM GMT 16 Dec 2008 Isabelle Dinoire - Face transplant woman still struggles with i Isabelle Dinoire, who underwent a face transplant three years ago, has said that it was not easy getting used to life after the operation Photo: ABBIE TRAYLER SMITH Doctors at the Cleveland Clinic, in Ohio, announced they had performed 'the first near total face transplant' with skin from a donor. It is the fourth transplant to be carried out and the first in America. It is thought the operation was carried out on the woman two weeks ago and doctors waited to see if transplant would be successful before making an announcement. Head of the team Prof Maria Siemionow, director of plastic surgery research at the clinic, is due to reveal more details on Wednesday. The operation will have involved taking skin, blood vessels, nerves from the donor in one sheet called a 'skin envelope' and painstakingly connecting it to the recipient once their own facial scar tissue has been removed. It is likely to have taken at least eight to ten hours to complete. The face can only be taken from a dead donor who is well matched to the recipient in age, sex, tissue type and skin tone. Isabelle Dinoire, then 38, became the first person in the world to receive a face transplant in 2005 when her dog ripped off part of her face. Surgeons in France replaced her lips, cheek, part of her chin and nose with tissue taken from a donor. She has made a remarkable recovery with good movement and sensation returning to her face. Since then French doctors have performed another partial transplant on a man with disfiguring tumours and a team in China carried out another partial face transplant after a man was attacked by a bear. British surgeon, Prof Peter Butler, has been planning to carry out a series of complete facial transplants on patients in the UK who have suffered extensive burns. Dr Alex Clarke, chief psychologist on the British team based at the Royal Free Hospital in London, last night offered her congratulations to the Cleveland Clinic and the recipient and wished the donor's family well. She said: "It is a real step forward for people who have severe disfigurement and this operation has been done by a team who have really prepared and worked towards this for a number of years. "These transplants have proven that the technical difficulties can be overcome and psychologically the patients are doing well. They have all have reacted positively and have begun to do things they were not able to before. "All the things people thought were barriers to this kind of operations have been overcome." As with almost all transplants the patient will have to take drugs to prevent the tissue being rejected which can shorten life expectancy by up to ten years and increase the likelihood of cancer. Candidates for facial transplantation are likely to have been through dozens of operations with skin grafts taken from their own body to rebuild their face after burns, accidents or damage caused by tumours and little more can be done other than a transplant. Critics have argued that the operation carries too many risks for a condition that is not life threatening however research with disfigured people has found many are willing to accept the risks for the hope of a more normal life. There are thousands of people in the UK with severe facial disfigurement who barely leave their homes and live in almost total isolation from society. <*}}}>< <http://www.halfthekingdom.org/please%20donate.html>Donations are needed and very much appreciated <*}}}>< <*}}}>< <http://www.holypostage.com/>Holy Postage <*}}}>< <*}}}><<http://www.halfthekingdom.org/>Half the <http://www.halfthekingdom.org/>Kingdom!<*}}}>< Lord, may everything we do begin with Your inspiration and continue with Your help, so that all our prayers and works may begin in You and by You be happily ended. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. <*}}}>< <http://www.halfthekingdom.org/please%20donate.html>Donations are needed and very much appreciated <*}}}>< <*}}}>< <http://www.holypostage.com/>Holy Postage <*}}}>< <*}}}><<http://www.halfthekingdom.org/>Half the <http://www.halfthekingdom.org/>Kingdom!<*}}}>< Lord, may everything we do begin with Your inspiration and continue with Your help, so that all our prayers and works may begin in You and by You be happily ended. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Please note that I do not send or open attachments sent to this list. You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Catholics on Fire" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/Catholics-on-Fire May the blessing of Jesus and our Blessed Mother be with you -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
