Spain Doctors Claims First Full Face Transplant

Spain doctors claims to have successfully completed the world's first full-face transplant. The Barcelona team of 30 surgeons, anaesthetists, nurses and transplant specialists completed the 24-hour procedure at Vall d'Hebron University Hospital. They replaced all parts of the patient's face apart from his eyeballs and tongue.

Photo: Spain Doctors Claims First Full Face Transplant

The world's first full face transplant has occurred only five years after Isabelle Dinoire, 38, in Amiens, France became the first to undergo a partial version of the procedure. Dinoire who had been mauled by her dog, received a new nose, chin and lips.

The recipient of the first full face transplant is reported to be a young man who was severely injured in an accident five years ago. The reconstruction surgery replace his entire face, including skin, bone structure, muscle tissue and even teeth, eMaxHealth reports.

A team at the Royal Free NHS Trust, led by Professor Peter Butler, said it was also "ready to go" with a complete face transplant on a burns victim.

Dr Alex Clarke, a consultant clinical psychologist at the trust, said: "Everything is in place for us to go ahead, and we are just waiting for a match between a recipient and a donor. We think the Barcelona procedure is terrific, and anything that helps normalise this procedure is a good thing."

The patient, who previously had a tube inserted in his neck to aid breathing and another into his stomach for nutrition, is expected to start "talking and eating, and also smiling and laughing" within a few weeks' time, This is London informs.