Osteocutaneous face transplantation

Long-Term Survival of Composite Hemiface/Mandible/Tongue Allografts Correlates With Multilineage Chimerism Development in the Lymphoid and Myeloid Compartments of Recipients

“…Facial allograft transplantation offers a unique one-stage reconstructive option for these severe deformities. Depending on the extent and depth of craniofacial defects, different types of composite facial allografts can be considered: (1) composite cutaneous face transplant including skin and underlying soft tissues (superficial musculoaponeurotic system), (2) composite cutaneous facial allografts including underlying soft tissues and muscles, (3) complex osteocutaneous face transplant including skin, soft tissues, muscles, and bony components of maxillofacial and mandibular skeleton (25). To test whether there are differences in immunologic responses between facial allografts bearing different tissue components, we have developed different experimental rat models of composite face allotransplants across MHC barrier.…”

Design of a Modified Monobloc Composite Facial Allograft Technique in Facial Reconstruction

“…We would not anticipate significant resorption of the underlying structural support of bone because it is a component of a vascularized flap, and there may be immunologic benefits to bone-on-bone apposition of graft to host. [13][14][15] Our study is limited in that it has been performed in a cadaveric model, although the techniques we used have been proven to be safe and functional in live patients. The total harvest time for the flap was approximately 125 minutes, with an additional 30 minutes of modification for removal of the upper jaw and thinning of the cortices.…”

Feasibility, Reproducibility, Risks and Benefits of Face Transplantation: A Prospective Study of Outcomes

“…Our face transplantation protocol has evolved since 2005, in the light of experience and outcomes. Nevertheless, we maintain a systematic deep approach for transplant harvest (11,12), which is reproducible and standardized and differs slightly from approaches described elsewhere (6,22–28).…”