A 49-year-old woman recently benefited from the first larynx transplant in France, carried out in Lyon. She was breathing through a tracheotomy and had not been able to speak for 20 years due to complications from intubation. After the transplant, she was able to speak a few words and is currently undergoing rehabilitation to regain all her abilities.
The patient's immunosuppressive treatment was reinforced after she started to reject it, but she was able to return home on October 26. She said she chose to undergo this procedure to “regain a normal life” and that her daughters had “never heard of it”.
The idea for this transplant was inspired by the world's first larynx transplant carried out in 1998 in the United States. Professor Philippe Céruse coordinated this transplant after a decade of preparation and search for eligible patients.
The operation lasted 27 hours with the participation of twelve surgeons and around fifty staff from the Lyon University Hospital. The team remains cautious and will wait 12 to 18 months for the patient to regain motor function in her larynx.
The Lyon transplant teams continue to work on other non-vital organs whose dysfunctions are synonymous with “social death”. They are planning uterus and penis transplants in the next two years.
 Pascal Lemontel
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21/11/2023 | 
