Woman who received world's first face transplant dies
The world's first recipient of a face transplant has died in France, almost 11 years since she had the landmark operation.
Isabelle Dinoire, 49, died in April this year but her death has only just been announced by the CHU hospital in Amiens, northern France, where she underwent surgery in 2005.
Doctors said Dinoire became ill after her body rejected a new skin graft and lost partial use of her lips. Having undergone intensive post-surgery drug treatment, she went on to develop two different types of cancer.
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Her family wanted her death kept private and the hospital didn't release further details.
The woman underwent surgery on Nov. 27, 2005, after her pet dog, a Labrador cross breed, attacked her and ripped off much of her face.
A team of surgeons, doctors and nurses led by Professor Bernard Devauchelle, an oral and maxillofacial surgeon, took part in the successful 15-hour operation that gave the woman a new nose, chin and lips.
During a press conference in February 2006, Dinoire said: "From the day of the operation, I have a face like everyone else. I can open my mouth and eat. Just recently, I started feeling my lips, my nose and my mouth."
Medications that patients must take to prevent their bodies from rejecting new organs can cause other illnesses and severe side effects.
