Concomitant face and hand transplantation: perfect solution or perfect storm?

Area of Science:

• Reconstructive surgery
• Transplant surgery
• Immunotherapy

Background:

• Face and hand composite tissue allotransplantation is a growing field in reconstructive surgery.
• Advances in immunotherapy have improved outcomes for these complex procedures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore reasons for the infrequent performance of concomitant (simultaneous) facial and upper extremity composite tissue allotransplantation.
• To highlight the need for future research into this unexplored area of reconstructive transplant surgery.

Main Methods:

• This is a review article, synthesizing existing knowledge and identifying research gaps.
• The authors discuss potential reasons for the limited application of this surgical approach.

Main Results:

• Concomitant composite tissue allotransplantation involving both facial and upper extremity components is rarely performed.
• Several factors contribute to this approach remaining largely unexplored in reconstructive surgery.

Conclusions:

• Further investigation is required to understand the benefits and drawbacks of simultaneous versus staged allotransplantation for facial and hand reconstruction.
• Research should address the complexities of cortical reorganization and rehabilitation in patients undergoing combined face and hand transplantation.