Facial Transplantation Surgery Introduction.
10.3346/jkms.2015.30.6.669
- Author:
Seok Chan EUN
1
Author Information
1. Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Korea. sceun@snubh.org
- Publication Type:Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't ; Review
- Keywords:
Facial Transplantation;
Facial Reconstruction;
Surgery;
Surgical Flaps
- MeSH:
Evidence-Based Medicine;
Face/*surgery;
Facial Injuries/*surgery;
Facial Transplantation/*methods/trends;
Forecasting;
Humans;
Reconstructive Surgical Procedures/*methods/trends;
Surgical Flaps/*trends;
Treatment Outcome
- From:Journal of Korean Medical Science
2015;30(6):669-672
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
Severely disfiguring facial injuries can have a devastating impact on the patient's quality of life. During the past decade, vascularized facial allotransplantation has progressed from an experimental possibility to a clinical reality in the fields of disease, trauma, and congenital malformations. This technique may now be considered a viable option for repairing complex craniofacial defects for which the results of autologous reconstruction remain suboptimal. Vascularized facial allotransplantation permits optimal anatomical reconstruction and provides desired functional, esthetic, and psychosocial benefits that are far superior to those achieved with conventional methods. Along with dramatic improvements in their functional statuses, patients regain the ability to make facial expressions such as smiling and to perform various functions such as smelling, eating, drinking, and speaking. The ideas in the 1997 movie "Face/Off" have now been realized in the clinical field. The objective of this article is to introduce this new surgical field, provide a basis for examining the status of the field of face transplantation, and stimulate and enhance facial transplantation studies in Korea.
