The University of Maryland has released new details about the recovery of Richard Lee Norris, the 37-year-old man who seven months ago received the most extensive full face transplant completed to date.
Norris, of Hillsville, VA, was injured in a 1997 gun accident, losing much of his upper and lower mandibles, as well as his lips and nose. The transplant surgery, completed on March 20, 2012, at the University of Maryland Medical Center, included replacement of the mandibles, teeth, tongue, skin, and underlying nerve and muscle tissue from scalp to neck.
Norris continues to gain sensation in his face and is able to smile and show expression, the university announced. His doctors say the motor function on the right side of his face is about 80% normal, and motor function on the left side is about 40%. He eats primarily by mouth and is able to smell and taste. He is also beginning to regain his ability to speak.
Norris' 36-hour full face transplant was led by Eduardo Rodriguez, MD, DDS, a professor of surgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and chief of plastic, reconstructive and maxillofacial surgery at the University of Maryland Medical Center. Norris' surgery marked the first time that a face transplant was performed by a team of plastic and reconstructive surgeons with specialized training and expertise in craniofacial surgery and reconstructive microsurgery.
