July 19th, 2003: 1st Human Tongue transplant

The tongue, from the unnamed (dead) donor, was chosen because his blood type and tongue size matched that of a 42-year-old man who had a malignant tumour of the jaw and tongue.

After the removal of tongue tissue (a “glossectomy”) the most common operation to replace a significant portion of the tongue involves using a portion of the patient's forearm to create a flap based on the shape and size of the piece of tongue being removed.

The procedure requires the removal of skin and fascia from the forearm, as well as an artery and veins in order to give and drain blood supply from the flap so it remains viable, as well as flexible enough to preserve function. While standard, it's a delicate operation, particularly with multiple teams working in tandem.

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