Italian Doctors Perform First Jawbone Transplant

ROME (Reuters) - Italian doctors have successfully performed what they are calling the first jawbone transplant in the world using the mandible from a corpse.

Surgeons at the respected Istituto Regina Elena in Rome pulled off the unprecedented operation on Thursday to help save a man suffering from advanced cancer of the mouth. They said the patient, an 80-year-old man, was in good condition on Friday.

"The tumor was very serious and the patient was running grave risks so we decided to go through with the new procedure," Dr. Giuseppe Spriano told Reuters.

A cancerous mandible is usually replaced with a section of the patient's leg bone that is cut to fit. As an alternate, a metal plaque and grafted tissue can be used in damaged parts of the mouth, he said.

For example, several years ago in Thailand doctors said they had performed a jaw transplant using grafted tissue from the mouth and throat of a man.

In cases of minor tumors, the jawbone is removed, treated with a double freezing process and then put back in or sections of mandible are replaced.

The Italian procedure lasted 11 hours and involved a team of 10 physicians, including mouth-throat-and-ear specialists and plastic surgeons.

As part of the surgery, the donor jawbone was reshaped to resemble the original mandible.

"The initial results were good. We'll have to wait and see, but it could become the best option for patients in the future," Spriano said in a telephone interview.

Cancer of the mouth is often caused by smoking or heavy alcohol intake, but jawbone operations could also be needed in the case of gunshot or other facial wounds.

The scientific director of the hospital said up to 15% of people suffering from oral cancer could benefit from the new procedure.

Copyright © 2003 Reuters.

This article posted February 7, 2003.