Surgeons in Pittsburgh are seeking approval for a “face transplant” operation. Such a procedure could restore normal facial characteristics to a patient who has experienced devastating facial trauma.
Maybe you remember the “near-total face transplant” performed by Cleveland Clinic surgeons in 2008. The operation required 22 hours and a large, multi-skilled medical team.
According to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, doctors and plastic surgeons at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center want to perform a similar operation in the future. The surgeons have experience with hand transplants — procedures that require advanced techniques to reconnect tissues, veins and blood vessels. A face transplant however, would have different cosmetic goals and could require donation of organs that are difficult to procure.
Read more: UPMC Wants in on face transplants
