Face transplant patient nods approval
(AP)
Updated: 2006-04-16 19:22
A Chinese man who received what might be the world's second partial face
transplant was unable to speak but nodded his approval after his first
post-operation look in the mirror, a local newspaper said Sunday.
A man who receives a face transplant operation
is shown in this photo taken on April 14, 2006. The man, surnamed Li, had
suffered severe bear attack in 2004 and he at last undergoes a face
transplant operation at a Xi'an hospital with the help of a voluntary
organization. The operation starts on April 13 and lasts 14 hours.
According to the hospital, the operation is
successful.[Xinhua] |
Li Guoxing was given a
new cheek, upper lip, nose, and an eyebrow during a 15-hour procedure that ended
Friday. After regaining consciousness, Li quickly asked for a mirror but was
initially refused for fear he might become upset, the Beijing Evening News said.
He was allowed to see his new face for the first time Saturday and, when
asked if he was satisfied, Li nodded, the paper said.
Li's face was badly mauled in an encounter with a black bear in the southern
province of Yunnan two years ago. Photos released by the hospital showed the
extent of Li's injuries, his right eye nearly closed and the cheek and lip badly
ripped, exposing pink flesh.
The paper quoted Li's doctor, Zhang Hui, as saying that while Li's facial
scars would probably heal very well, there might be an obvious and lasting
difference between the right and left sides of his face as the donor was much
more pale-skinned than Li.
No details have been released about the donor at his family's request, the
Xinhua News Agency reported earlier.
A statement Friday from the Xijing Hospital in central China's Xi'an city,
where the surgery was performed, said it was only the second time in the world
that the complex procedure had been attempted. The claim has yet to be verified.
Half a year ago, doctors in Amiens, France, performed the world's first such
procedure, transplanting lips, a chin and a nose on to a woman who had been
attacked by a dog.
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