French first to perform a partial face transplant; critics raise timing, recipient suitability issues

Transplant News, Dec 15, 2005 by Jim Warren

Others, like Maria Siemionow, MD, director of plastic surgery at the Cleveland Clinic who hopes to perform the first face transplant in the US, were critical of the two protocols - the transplant of the face and infusion of stem cells in hopes of preventing rejection - because they may make it difficult to determine the cause of success or failure of the transplant.

"Ethics aside, it will make it difficult to get clean answers," she told the New York Times. "If it works, why does it work, and if it goes wrong, was it the transplant or the stem cells."

Other critics charged the transplant was performed months after the woman's injury and before conventional reconstructive surgery could be attempted.

What's next?

China announced on December 9 that experts at a military hospital have the ability to perform facial transplants.

Hong Zhijian, director of the plastic surgery section at the General Hospital of Nanjing Military Commands in east China's Jiangsu Province, said many patients are seeking facial transplants but a suitable patient is still being sought.

"When all the conditions are right, we can carry out facial transplants at once," Hong said, according to Chinadaily News.