First Ever Transplant of Tongue and Jaw Completed in Spain

The first ever transplant of a tongue and jaw was completed Tuesday in Spain.

The 43 year old patient, who is from the Canary Islands, had lost the lower half of his face as a result of radiotherapy to treat a malignant tumor.  A team of 30 surgeons spent 16 hours operating on the horribly disfigured man.

Dr. Pedro Cavadas, who led the team at La Fe Hospital in Valencia, reported: “The patient has already seen himself in the mirror and he is delighted.”

The doctor also added, “The patient should recover the capacity to speak intelligibly, to swallow, recover sensitivity in his tongue and his face.”

The donor, a 35 year old Belgian, was living in Spain when he was killed in a traffic accident.

The first time ever transplant of a tongue and jaw was particularly difficult because previous surgery had rendered the veins, arteries and nerves, normally connected in these operation, useless, Cavadas said.