Dental Tribune Middle East & Africa Edition

Complex and rare transplant operation restores women’s voice A woman who has been un- able to speak for more than a decadehasregainedhervoiceaf- ter undergoing a rare voicebox transplant. BrendaJensen,losttheability to speak following surgery 11 years ago. Her voice box was damaged after she repeatedly ripped out a breathing tube whilst sedated. Since then she has been un- abletosmellortastefoodandcan only breathe with the help of a tracheotomy tube. An electronic hand held device that produces an artificial robot-like voice was her only way of speaking to oth- ers. An international team of sur- geons-whichincludedProfessor Martin Birchall from University College London - performed the complex surgery at the Univer- sity of California Davis Medical Centre, US. More than two dozen surgeons, doctors, nurses and technicians were involved over- all. The 52 year-old-woman spoke her first words just 13 days after the operation. She is now able to speak easily. Ms Jensen said: “This opera- tion has restored my life. I feel so blessed to have been given this opportunity. It is a miracle. I’m talking, talking, talking, which just amazes my family and friends.” The surgeons removed and replaced Ms. Jensen’s larynx (voicebox), thyroid gland and trachea (windpipe) with that from a donor who died in an acci- dent. Surgeons had to work si- multaneously on each side of the patient to reconnect the organ and various nerves, veins and ar- teries. The new voice sounded hoarse after the operation, but has improved significantly since the transplant. Although the donor organ came from an acci- dent victim, Ms. Jensen’s voice is herownandnotthatofthedonor, the surgeons said. Ms Jensen is now able to smell and taste food and is in the process of relearning to swallow. She hopes to soon be able to eat and drink normally again. “We are absolutely delighted with the results of this extraordi- nary case,” said Professor Gre- gory Farwell, at UC Davis Med- ical Centre and lead surgeon for the transplant. “The larynx is an incredibly complex organ, with intricate nerves and muscles functioning to provide voice and allow breathing. “Our success required that we assemble an exceptional, multi-disciplinary team, use the most recent advances in surgical and rehabilitation techniques, and find a patient who would rel- ish the daunting challenges of undergoing the transplant and the work necessary to use her new voicebox.” Dr John Williams, Head of Clinical Activities at the Well- comeTrust,whichhassupported Professor Birchall’s research in the past said: “This is a truly ex- traordinary achievement and a genuine breakthrough. “Professor Birchall and col- leagues have clearly trans- formed the life of their patient and their work offers much hope both for patients in need of simi- lar procedures and indeed for re- search into transplantation and regenerative medicine in gen- eral.” DT Woman regains voice after rare larynx transplant News & Opinions DENTALTRIBUNE Middle East & Africa Edition4 AD