For 11 years, Brenda Jensen could not breathe or talk adequately, but last month she finally regained those abilities thanks to recent advancements in transplant technology. Professionals at the University of California Davis Medical Center performed the first successful transplant of a larynx and windpipe together and the second successful voice box transplant on Jensen.
The 18-hour operation restored near normal functionality of the larynx, thyroid gland and trachea, which were damaged in 1999 because of surgical complications. Thirteen days after the recent operation, Jensen could talk in her own - albeit croaky - voice. Despite its success with Jensen, the surgery still involves risks. Post-surgical drugs ultimately reduce life expectancy. In Jensen's case, researchers concluded since she was already using immunosuppressant drugs, she was an ideal candidate for the operation. This surgery marks a significant event in the history of transplants, which began in 1902 with the first successful animal kidney transplants. In 2005, doctors performed the first partial face transplant in France . In recent years, surgeons completed a double arm transplant, the first transplant of a human windpipe and the birth of the first baby from a transplanted ovary. In 2010, Spanish surgeons mastered the transplantation of a full face.
-Compiled by Fiza Hashmi
Read More
U.Va. students and physicians team up for another year of free kidney screenings
By Merrill Hart | November 5, 2024Saturday’s screening marked the first by KDSAP at Portico Church, near IX Art Park.
U.Va. Health sees a spike in COVID-19 cases
By Emily Horn | September 4, 2023U.Va. Health ended their vaccination requirements in August, and masks were made optional in most hospital areas in early April.
U.Va. Cancer Center harnesses $12 million grant to support opportunities for undergraduates, ongoing research and new center
By Ellen Wu | January 12, 2023The grant provides an opportunity to establish the Center for Systems Analysis of Stress-Adapted Cancer Organelles, which seeks to find the cause of cancer in individual organelles.
