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| First US face transplant complete | First US face transplant complete |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| Surgeons at a clinic in a Cleveland, Ohio, have performed America's first almost-total face transplant. | Surgeons at a clinic in a Cleveland, Ohio, have performed America's first almost-total face transplant. |
| The reconstructive surgeon in charge of the operation - Dr Maria Siemionow - replaced 80% of a woman's face with that of a dead female donor. | The reconstructive surgeon in charge of the operation - Dr Maria Siemionow - replaced 80% of a woman's face with that of a dead female donor. |
| The patient's name and age have not been released. | The patient's name and age have not been released. |
| The Cleveland transplant is only the fourth to be carried out. Two operations have been conducted in France and one in China. | The Cleveland transplant is only the fourth to be carried out. Two operations have been conducted in France and one in China. |
| The world's first face transplant took place in France three years ago, on Isabelle Dinoire, a woman who had been mauled by her dog. | |
| Surgeons used donor tissue to replace her nose, mouth, lips and chin. | |
| Two other such operations have been carried out since then - one on a Chinese farmer who was mauled by a bear while trying to protect his sheep, and the other on a French man who had become disfigured by a genetic condition. | |
| Altered face | |
| Doctors in Cleveland said the operation had been carried out two weeks ago and they would release more details on Wednesday. | |
| After the procedure, all patients have to take medication for the rest of their lives, which suppresses their immune system to prevent the transplanted skin being rejected. | |
| The new face does not look like the donor because its shape is altered by the muscles and bones of the patient's face. | |
| The Frenchwoman who had the first transplant has said she is satisfied with the results. | |
| But some experts warn of possible psychological side-effects which may include remorse, disappointment, or grief and guilt towards the donor. |