Facial Allotransplantation, Looking for the Future

Bernard Devauchelle (1, 2) , Jean-Michel Dubernard (3) , Sylvie Testelin (2) , E. Moreton , J. Kanikatis , Stéphanie Dakpé (2)

1 Département de chirurgie maxillofaciale et stomatologie [CHU d'Amiens-Picardie]
2 CHIMERE - CHirurgie, IMagerie et REgénération tissulaire de l’extrémité céphalique - Caractérisation morphologique et fonctionnelle - UR UPJV 7516
3 Hôpital Edouard Herriot [CHU - HCL]

Is it surprising that in more than10 years only less than40 face allotransplants have been realized? What are the lessons from that reality? The first ethical debate led in 2004 by the national ethical committee (article 82) is not exactly in the same purpose: face transplant could lead to death issue (5 cases out of the series of 38 transplanted patients). This dimension which is not only linked on the immunosuppressive regimen should be mentioned. That could explain this. The fourth dimension, the time one intervenes at two stages -the behavior of the transplant tissues themselves along the time in comparison with the other tissues -the risks for chronic rejection which is too early distanciate The average on organ transplant length life is about 15 years that leads to put the question of second transplantation on. Without deny the successful breakthrough of this first face transplant which was not only a new hope but also a hermeneutic scope, our whole works should be led to go beyond and if we could not enfranchise ourselves of our immunologic identity, we should completely involve the regenerative surgery

Domaines: Sciences du Vivant [q-bio]

Bernard Devauchelle, Jean-Michel Dubernard, Sylvie Testelin, E. Moreton, J. Kanikatis, et al.. Facial Allotransplantation, Looking for the Future. E-Mémoires de l'Académie Nationale de Chirurgie, 2017, 16 (2), pp.53-58. ⟨10.14607/emem.2017.2.053⟩. ⟨hal-03598612⟩