The UK Facial Reconstruction and
Face Transplantation Information website

Research

Summary of our research

Using the Royal College of Surgeons report as a framework, the UK facial transplantation team led by Peter Butler, has carried out studies with different population groups including patients with severe facial injuries, health professionals working with transplant patients, and the general public.

Our findings suggest that concerns about facial transplantation are often based on a lack of information. This may lead to a belief that facial transplantation will result in the recipient taking on the identity of the donor. A lack of understanding of the problems faced by many who have severe facial injuries, and the tendency to dismiss these as quality of life rather than life threatening issues, may distort the risk/benefit analysis with respect to lifelong immunosuppression.

Our public engagement programme, in which all these issues are discussed, together with published research and the modelling of potential identity transfer using computers, have all helped to educate and to frame facial transplantation as science fact rather than fiction. The French partial face transplant has also helped enormously to demonstrate the challenge of facial reconstruction and the potential for these pioneering techniques in the successful treatment of facial injuries.

Research Papers

Papers produced by the research unit at the Royal Free Hospital, London include the following:

  • The Use of Colour Doppler Ultrasound in the Assessment of Vessels for Facial Transplantation. Renshaw A, Whitwell KA, Berger L, Butler PE. Annals of Plastic Surgery (In press) 2006
  • Informed consent for facial transplantation. Renshaw A, Clarke A, Diver AJ, Ashcroft RE, Butler PEM. Transplant International. (In Press) published article online:18 Jul 2006
  • Managing the risks of facial transplantation. Butler PEM, Hettiaratchy S, Clarke A. Lancet. 2006; Aug 12; 368(9535):561-3
  • Facial Transplantation: a new gold standard in facial reconstruction? Butler PEM, Hettiaratchy S, Clarke A. J Plast Reconstr Aesthet Surg. 2006; 59(3):211-2
  • Tolerance induction in composite facial allograft transplantation in the rat model. Hettiaratchy S, Butler PEM. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2006; May; 117(3):1043-4
  • Psychological management of face transplantation. Brill SE, Clarke A, Veale DM, Butler PEM Body Image 2006, 3 15.
  • Attitudes to Face Transplantation: results of a public engagement exercise at the Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition. Clarke A, Simmons J, Withey S, Butler PEM. Journal of Burn Care and Rehabilitation. 2006, May-Jun; 27(3):394-8.
  • Psychosocial outcomes derived from an acid burned population in Bangladesh, and comparisons with Western norms. Mannan A, Gani S, Clarke A, White P, Butler PEM. Burns 2006, Mar;32(2):235-41. Epub 2006 Jan 31.
  • Facial transplantation Butler PEM, Hettiaratchy S, Clarke A. British Medical Journal 2005; 331:1349-50.
  • Facial transplantation: adding to the reconstructive options after severe facial injury and disease. Clarke A, Butler PEM. Expert Opin Biol Ther. 2005, Dec; 5(12):1539-46.
  • Face transplantation: psychological assessment and preparation for surgery Clarke A, Butler PEM. Psychology, Health and Medicine 2004; 9(3):321-332
  • Composite tissue allotransplantation - a new era in plastic surgery? Hettiaratchy S, Randolph MA, Petit F, Lee WP, Butler PEM. British J Plast Surg. 2004, Jul; 57(5):381-91.
  • Face transplantation: when and for whom? Butler PEM, Clarke A, Ashcroft R. American Journal of Bioethics. 2004, 4(3):16-17.
  • Patient Selection for Facial Transplantation I: Anatomical and Surgical Considerations. Kelly M and Butler, PE. International Journal of Surgery 2004; 2:114-116.
  • Patient Selection for Facial Transplantation II: Psychological Considerations. Clarke, A and Butler, PE. International Journal of Surgery 2004; 2:116-118.
  • Patient Selection for Facial Transplantation III: Ethical Considerations. Thorburn G, Hettiaratchy S, Ashcroft R. and Butler P.E. International Journal of Surgery 2004; 2:118-119.
  • The Problem of Acid Violence in Bangladesh. Mannan A, Ghani S, Sen SL, Clarke A, Butler PE. The Journal of Surgery 2004; 2:39-43.
  • Extending the boundaries of transplantation. Hettiaratchy S, Butler PEM. British Medical Journal. 2003, 326:1226-1227.
  • Face transplantation - fantasy or the future? Hettiaratchy S, Butler PEM. Lancet. 2002, Jul 6:360(9326):5-6.
  • Lessons from hand transplantations. Hettiaratchy S, Butler PEM, Lee WP. Lancet. 2001, Feb 17; 357(9255):494-5.


Copyright © 2006, The Face Trust