title: How reconstructive transplantation is different from organ transplantation--and how it is not.
abstract: An evolution of understanding and knowledge gained over more than 100 years in the field of solid organ transplantation (SOT) led to the first successful clinical cases of composite tissue allotransplantation. In many ways reconstructive transplantation (RT) is similar to SOT; however, certain characteristics make this novel type of transplantation unique, interesting, and challenging for both clinicians/scientists and patients. Currently, RT is a rapidly advancing multidisciplinary clinical reality. With over 100 clinical cases performed over the past 12 years, and encouraging early to midterm results, the relevance of RT for treatment of congenital and acquired tissue defects unsalvageable by conventional reconstruction is significant and holds great potential for the future. We herein report the extraordinary progress in this field with particular discussion of a comparative analysis of the similarities and differences regarding indications, end point, failure, patient and graft survival, and side effects between SOT and RT.
authors.affiliation: Center for Operative Medicine, Department of Visceral, Transplant and Thoracic Surgery, Innsbruck Medical University, Innsbruck, Austria.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hautz
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Brandacher
authors.forename: T O
authors.initials: TO
authors.lastname: Engelhardt
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pierer
authors.forename: W P A
authors.initials: WP
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pratschke
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schneeberger
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006084:Graft Rejection; D006085:Graft Survival; D006801:Humans; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D016377:Organ Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D018579:Patient Selection; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D016378:Tissue Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents