Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 27, 2026
Surgical Approach to Full Soft Tissue Face Allograft Procurement for Vascularized Composite Allotransplantation
Published on: December 30, 2025
Face transplantation: on the verge of becoming clinical routine?
Ralf Smeets1, Carsten Rendenbach1, Moritz Birkelbach1
1Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistraße 52, 20246 Hamburg, Germany.
Unlabelled:
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.
