Face transplants: In pictures
SOME MAY FIND THE FOLLOWING IMAGES DISTURBING.
Face transplant after bear attack
A successful face transplant in a 30-year-old Chinese man who was attacked by the bear in October 2004.
The surgery included connection of arteries and veins, repair of the nose, lip, and sinuses, as well as other structures in the damaged part of the face.
Although not without complications, face transplants can be used successfully in severe disfigurement, the researchers said.
Four different drugs were used to modulate the immune system and decrease the chances of the body rejecting the partial transplant.
This 29-year-old male patient had a facial tumour called a neurofibroma, which was infiltrating the middle and lower part of his face.
A year after a partial face transplant, the patient regained good movement and sensation in his face.