A man in France has got a second face transplant, following the rejection of a different face he received in 2010.
The operation was was performed over two days in January at the Georges Pompidou European Hospital.
The team was led by Professor Laurent Lantieri.
Doctors say this latest operation demonstrates that, for the first time ever, re-transplantation is possible in cases of chronic rejection in vascularised grafts - i.e. face and hand).
French Surgeon Laurent Lantieri led the medical team | Image: Bernard Bisson/JDD/ABACAPRESS.COM
The hospital says: "The severity of rejection required a complete removal of the front end of November 2017.
"The patient, hospitalised in intensive care, received several weeks of daily treatments, made particularly complex by the lack of (a) face and infectious and immunological status related to rejection."
2e greffe de la face pour un même patient à l'@HopitalPompidou AP-HP : 3 mois après l’intervention, le patient, toujours hospitalisé, a pu bénéficier d’une première sortie, et sa sortie définitive est prévue à court terme. https://t.co/HtI2abTi8f pic.twitter.com/UyVkDXSN0V
— AP-HP (@APHP) April 17, 2018
The patient went through heavy treatment to try and avoid rejection of the second graft.
He also received psychological support and speech therapy that'll continue for several months.
