First US face transplant revealed

First US face transplant revealed

美国第一例面部移植手术曝光

The recipient（接受者）of the first US almost-total face transplant has appeared before the media for the first time.

Connie Culp, a 46-year-old mother-of-two was left without the middle section of her face after her husband shot her in 2004.

Ms Culp, whose identity had been previously¹ withheld（保密，不知晓）, paid tribute （颂词，称赞）to the donor² family at a news conference.

Surgeons （外科医生）at a clinic in a Cleveland, Ohio, replaced 80% of Ms Culp's face with that of a dead female donor（捐赠人）.

"I guess I'm the one you came to see today, " she told reporters but added that "I think it's more important that you focus on the donor family that made it so I could have this person's face."

The transplant is only the fourth to be carried out. Two operations have been conducted in France and one in China.

Life-changing

Ms Culp recalled that when plastic surgeon（整形外科） Dr Risal Djohan first examined her injuries two months after she had been shot, "he didn't think, he wasn't sure, if he could fix me, but he'd try".

"Here I am, five years later...I got me my nose," she told reporters in good humour.

"When somebody has a disfigurement（外貌损伤） and don't look as pretty as you do, don't judge them, because you never know what happened to them," Ms Culp added.

The clinic's director of plastic surgery, Maria Siemionow, said they believed the procedure had changed Ms Culp's life "dramatically（显著的，引人注目的）".

Ms Culp's injuries had left her without bone support and unable to eat and breathe without a tube in her windpipe（气管）.

Eleven surgeons performed the 22-hour operation, which leaves her able her to perform normal functions now.

Dr Siemionow said the operation was the most complex transplant completed to date. Surgeons had to incorporate（合并） muscles, nerves, skin and blood vessels³ from a woman who had recently died.

French transplant

The world's first face transplant took place in France three years ago, on Isabelle Dinoire, a woman who had been mauled（打伤，粗暴的虐待） by her dog.

Surgeons used donor tissue to replace her nose, mouth, lips and chin.

Two other such operations have been carried out since then - one on a Chinese farmer and the other on a French man.

After the procedure, all patients have to take medication for the rest of their lives, which suppresses their immune system（免疫系统） to prevent the transplanted skin being rejected.

The new face does not look like the donor because its shape is altered by the muscles and bones of the patient's face.

The Frenchwoman who had the first transplant has said she is satisfied with the results.

But some experts warn of possible psychological side-effects which may include remorse（懊悔，悔恨）, disappointment, or grief and guilt⁴ towards the donor.

 (本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑)

 

1 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

2 donor   

n.捐献者；赠送人；(组织、器官等的)供体

参考例句：

• In these cases,the recipient usually takes care of the donor afterwards.在这类情况下，接受捐献者以后通常会照顾捐赠者。
• The Doctor transplanted the donor's heart to Mike's chest cavity.医生将捐赠者的心脏移植进麦克的胸腔。

3 vessels   

n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人

参考例句：

• The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

4 guilt   

n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责

参考例句：

• She tried to cover up her guilt by lying.她企图用谎言掩饰自己的罪行。
• Don't lay a guilt trip on your child about schoolwork.别因为功课责备孩子而使他觉得很内疚。