WEDNESDAY, Nov. 18 (HealthDay News) -- A near-total face and maxilla transplant has been successfully performed on a woman who had already had many major reconstructive surgeries, according to an article in the November/December issue of the Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery.

Daniel S. Alam, M.D., and colleagues from the Cleveland Clinic describe an osteocutaneous allograft transplant incorporating the donor maxilla performed on a 46-year-old woman with a history of a gunshot wound to the face who had already had 23 major reconstructive procedures.

The researchers found that the allograft had integrated well with no long-term rejection after seven months. Although, traditionally, the surgery would require independent dissection of the internal maxillary vascular system, they were able to perform the transplant based strictly on the facial arterial system and its arcades.

"Successful near-total face and maxilla allograft transplant can be accomplished based on the facial arterial system and its arcades," Alam and colleagues conclude. "This presents a novel method for reconstructing massive facial injuries with significant involvement of the facial skeleton."

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