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Sunday, 18 June 2006 11:38

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Doctors to carry out first full face transplant

British doctors are preparing to conduct the world’s first full face transplant after identifying four potential candidates.

Peter Butler, a consultant plastic surgeon at the Royal Free Hospital in North London, is awaiting the final go-ahead from his hospital’s ethics committee.

In 2003, the surgeon had to cancel a face transplant on a 14-year-old Irish girl after the Royal College of Surgeons of England warned it was too early to try the procedure.

Some critics believed the risk was too great, while others were concerned over the questions of identity involved in transferring a face from one person to another.

But last year's successful partial face transplant on Isabelle Dinoire, a Frenchwoman, has underlined the potential benefits of the operation. Dinoire, 38, had her nose, lips and chin replaced after her face was mauled by a dog.

"People have seen a woman with severe facial deformity changed to what looks like a perfectly normal face," said Butler. "It's now not a case of how in this country but when.

"Selecting the right patient is very important. They have to be someone who can handle the psychological impact."

If he receives final approval from the ethics committee at the Royal Free Hospital, Butler's team will begin to make the final selection. His team has raised around £40,000 to fund operations on two patients.

Dr Michael Pegg, the chairman of the ethics committee, said: "We are considering an application to do a face transplant and want to make sure that the procedures are followed perfectly.

"We will look at the application very carefully before making a decision."

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