Polish Surgeons Perform Rare Throat Transplant, Patient Was Then Able To Whisper His Thanks

Polish surgeons announced on Monday that they have successfully performed a rare throat transplant. The surgery was performed on a 37-year-old man who had cancer in his voice box.

The throat transplant was an extensive procedure, involving parts such as the esophagus, windpipe and thyroid glands. Surgeons operated on April 11 and took 17 hours to complete the procedure, reports Associated Press.

The patient, known only by the name Michal, was diagnosed with an advanced form of cancer in his voice box in 2009, which rendered him unable to breathe, swallow and speak. ABC News reports that he also underwent a kidney transplant in 2001 and has been taking immunosuppressive drugs since then.

When he was diagnosed with throat cancer, he had his voice box removed and received chemotherapy. The cancer did not return, but he was still taking drugs to stop his body from rejecting the kidney he got earlier. He led a poor quality of life, which prompted the doctors to perform throat surgery on him.

After a successful surgery, Michal appeared in the Oncology Centre Monday news conference held in south of Gliwice, Poland. He has not fully recovered but was able to whisper his appreciation. He can now swallow soft, liquefied food, and according to Dr Adam Maciejewski, lead surgeon of the procedure, Michal had a satisfactory recovery rate, but there is still the concern on infections and rejection.

Intensive rehabilitation should help Michal to eat, speak and breathe as people normally do. Maciejewski and his team have also been successful in previous transplants. They performed a facial transplant that saved the life of two patients in 2013. According to ABC News, Maciejewski said that there were two throat transplants already performed before but they were less extensive as opposed to the recent procedure.

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