title: Face transplantation: on the verge of becoming clinical routine?
abstract: INTRODUCTION; Face transplantation (FT) is an innovative achievement of modern reconstructive surgery and is on the verge of becoming a common surgical opportunity. This review article was compiled to provide an update on this surgical field, especially regarding clinical outcomes, benefits, and complications implied.
  
  
  METHODS
  We performed an extensive research on all English-language Medline articles, case reports, and reviews published online until September 15, 2013. Used search terms were "face transplantation," "face transplant," "facial transplantation," "facial transplant," "face allograft," and "facial allograft."
  
  
  RESULTS
  To date 27 FTs have been performed worldwide. 19 of these cases have been published in the Medline database. Long-term follow-up reports of FT cases are rare. Three deaths associated with the procedure have occurred to date. The clinical outcomes of FT are satisfying. Reinnervation of sensation has been faster than motor recovery. Extensive functional improvements have been observed. Due to strict immunosuppression protocols, no case of hyperacute or chronic rejection and no graft-versus-host disease have occurred to date.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  As studies on long-term outcomes are missing, particularly regarding immunosuppression-related complications, FT will stay experimental for the next years. Nevertheless, for a small group of patients, FT already is a feasible reconstructive option.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistraße 52, 20246 Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Ralf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Smeets
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistraße 52, 20246 Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Carsten
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rendenbach
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistraße 52, 20246 Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Moritz
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Birkelbach
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistraße 52, 20246 Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Ahmed
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Al-Dam
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistraße 52, 20246 Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gröbe
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistraße 52, 20246 Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Henning
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hanken
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistraße 52, 20246 Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Max
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Heiland
mesh_terms: D064591:Allografts; D054445:Facial Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007165:Immunosuppression Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D016239:MEDLINE