title: [Organ transplantation, composite tissue allotransplantation, and plastic surgery].
abstract: Transplantations play an increasing role for plastic reconstructive surgeons. The increasing number of solid organ transplantations and the improved long-term survival rates lead to increased numbers of these patients also undergoing plastic and reconstructive procedures. Free flap transfer in solid organ transplant patients is feasible with no higher risk to both transplant function and postoperative complications than for nontransplant patients, even during immune suppression. Composite tissue allotransplantation (CTA) is an evolving field in plastic reconstructive surgery with hands, arms, partial faces, abdominal walls, and knee joints being transferred in clinical settings. However only an interdisciplinary approach using all available resources in highly selected patients after exhausting all other plastic reconstructive procedures is able to achieve reasonable results. The potential complications of long-term immune suppression and patient compliance have to be balanced with the expected and achieved functional result of CTA, whose procedures must be discussed as a potential tissue or organ transplantation, given the legal and logistic implications. The interdisciplinary cooperation of transplant surgeons, microsurgeons, psychologists, and ergo- and physiotherapists is mandatory to achieve successful CTA results.
authors.affiliation: Plastische, Hand- und Wiederherstellungschirurgie, Medizinische Hochschule Hannover, Carl-Neuberg-Strasse 1, 30625 Hannover, Deutschland. kknobi@yahoo.com
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Knobloch
authors.forename: H O
authors.initials: HO
authors.lastname: Rennekampff
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Meyer-Marcotty
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gohritz
authors.forename: P M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Vogt
mesh_terms: D034861:Abdominal Wall / Q000601:surgery*; D005121:Extremities / Q000637:transplantation*; D054445:Facial Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D063987:Hand Transplantation; D006801:Humans; D007165:Immunosuppression Therapy; D008866:Microsurgery / Q000379:methods; D016377:Organ Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D011182:Postoperative Care / Q000379:methods; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D012086:Reoperation; D013524:Surgical Flaps; D016378:Tissue Transplantation / Q000379:methods*